Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust
by RertyanTheDark
Summary: When the world of Soul Eater and Bleach meet, it isn't under good prospects. Madness has brought a new threat to life and that threat has met another old threat. Confused much? T for language and violence. SoMa, KaiHime and IchiRuki. THIS ARC IS DONE!
1. Chapter 1

_**Spoilers up to Soul Eater episode 25, you have been warned.**_

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

_**Additional: **This is my first crossover so please try to take that into account while reading. I've recently gotten into Soul Eater and wanted to link the work I've done previously with it. In this crossover, Kai exhibits some new modes which may make you think 'Hang on a minute, this is new!', but that is because I'm overlapping Fanfics again. They're explained in the later chapters of After the Winter War, don't panic._

_Also, thank you everyone who has read/is reading my works, it's only because of you I continue._

_And thank you in particular to Aralana J'Lee Lovings, who I have been talking to since New Years. It was very nice of you to PM me._

_Ok, I'm gonna shut up now and start the story. Sorry for rambling on.

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**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 1: The New Demon Sword?**

The world had become infected, or that is how it seemed. With Asura, the first Kishin, revived and growing stronger day by day, the Madness Wavelength was beginning to sprout up in the world once more. People were returning to insanity and the world was slowly becoming more and more deranged. In the heart of it all was Shibusen, the Death Weapons Meister Academy, and it's students. With Asura revived, Crona had felt himself changing slowly in his cell in Shibusen. No one could have known the horrors that unfolded because of this and his Black Blood.

Maka, Soul and Crona walked into the dark ruins, keeping their eyes peeled for the Kishin egg souls they were looking for, the shadows creeping as if they harboured many dark creatures within them.

"Soul," Maka said softly. "I can feel them nearby."

"Right." the white-haired boy behind her replied, turning into a scythe on queue.

"Crona, how does it look over there?"

"It's really dark," the timid boy replied, shivering. "I'm not sure I know how to deal with it."

"Stop whining, Crona!" Ragnarok yelled, appearing from the boy's back. "Or do you want me to go back to scream therapy?"

"No, not the screaming, I can't deal with so much noise!"

"Man, those two have some serious issues." Soul muttered to Maka, who nodded a brief agreement before looking up, her body tensing as the Kishin souls began to vanish, leaving one huge one behind.

"Crona, behind you!" Maka yelled as a large, clawed hand reached out to slice Crona in half, but he reacted and dodged aside barely in time.

"Idiot, get it in gear!" Ragnarok yelled, activating his weapon form.

"R-right." Crona replied, swinging the sword at the claw but missing by inches.

"Maka, I can sense that thing's soul." Soul said. "We have to do it."

"Right." Maka replied. "Let's go..."

"Soul Resonance!" they both yelled, channelling their wavelengths together. "Witch Hunter!"

Crona got the gist and leapt backward.

"Ragnarok, Scream Resonance!" he yelled, the Demon Sword emitting a piercing screech. "Screech Alpha!"

A blackish purple arc bore down on the Kishin, cutting off it's arm with a sickening crunch as the bone split apart. While it was howling, Maka struck the killing blow with a swing of a Figure-Six Hunter. The Kishin soul exploded to reveal a red soul floating in it's place. Maka took the soul and walked to Crona.

"Here, you deserve this." she said.

"No, you killed it, you should have it." he replied.

"Crona, me and Soul have loads of these, it's no problem."

"Well... Alright."

Crona hesitantly took the soul and gingerly raised it above his head so that Ragnarok could swallow it whole with a lick of his lips. Then it happened.

Crona screamed as a black spike of blood erupted from his back. The spike split into a series of tangled vines of black blood with purple flowers spouting from them, the screaming not stopping until they had stopped moving and a black liquid oozed from the flowers, pooling behind Crona.

"What the hell is that stuff?" Soul asked, frowning at the black mass. "What happened?"

"Ma...ka?" Crona murmured groggily. "What are these things?"

"I don't know." she replied. "But that looks like your bloody needle in some form. What concerns me is the flowers that sprouted from them."

The pool of black shifted and speared the vines and tore them from Crona's body, who was then thrown forward as a huge black creature reared up from the mass. It gazed around blindly, roared and abruptly ran off into the darkness.

"Crona!" Maka yelled, running to his side. "Crona, are you ok? Crona!"

"Maka, we have to get him back to Shibusen." Soul intervened. Maka looked at her weapon then nodded, before the two scooped up the boy and hurried back to Shibusen.

_**Meanwhile, Karakura Park, Forest area**_

Ichigo's eyes darted back and forth, searching for any sign of the target, but he had no luck. Rukia kept glancing at her Captain and around them, a hand instinctively wrapped around the hilt of her sword, ready to unsheathe it at the first sign of danger. Further afield, the male looked at them from his perch in the trees, blending with the dark canopy. He cracked a smirk before whispering to the weapon in his grasp.

"Buster Mode, activate."

The sword vanished in place of two pistols in his hands, armour extending over the shoulders, upper arms and forearms in three pieces, each held in place by thick black chains. Without warning, he raised his right hand, pistol primed and ready to fire, and fired a bolt of red energy before using a Shunpo to jump to the next tree and repeat the steps.

Ichigo saw the beam bear down on them and intercepted with a blue energy arc, a smokescreen hiding them so that the Captain and Lieutenant could evade another barrage of the beams. When the smoke cleared, they say the male, both pistols aimed at them and charging.

"Dragon Fang!" he barked, the pistols loosing a rapid-fire barrage of the deadly beams at each of his targets.

Ichigo dodged left and Rukia right, the pistols following their movements. The guns stopped firing, the charge too low to continue, and both Soul Reapers attacked at once, their swords arcing into the target, but the pistols blocked both swings as if they were dust in the breeze. Ichigo glared, then grinned and sheathed Zangetsu.

"Alright, that's enough for one day." he announced. Rukia nodded and sheathed her blade, while Kai frowned, returning his zanpakuto to normal.

"Damn, I was just getting into the flow of it as well!" he protested, sheathing Supernova behind him. "I still think the Frenzy Mode needs work."

"And your aim needs practising for the Buster Mode." Ichigo grinned.

"Smart arse."

Rukia smiled.

"Come on, you two, don't start bickering." she said calmly. Kai snorted.

"That's a joke coming from you, Rukia; you and Ichigo argue all the time." he commented, receiving a kick in the shin.

"That aside, we should head back to the others."

Ichigo turned to walk off, when he spotted something strange in the sky. A large, dark creature was coming through, most likely an Adjuchas, but something didn't feel right about it.

"Hey, Rukia, Kai, we should take care of that thing." he said sternly, leaping into the air. Kai smirked, calling his Buster Mode back out.

"Perfect timing." he mused, following his comrades.

_**Earlier, Hueco Mundo**_

A small hollow ran over the white sands, a metal fragment in it's hands as it sprinted towards a cave.

"Soon..." it growled insanely. "Lord Aizen will return, he will... He will!"

Inside the cave, a machine whirred, a number of hollows running around to keep the monstrosity going. The small hollow ran inside and placed the fragment on the altar, a glass dome surrounding it shortly after. A larger hollow growled and nodded, ordering the small one to take his position in the chamber next to the altar. With a loud crackling noise, the hollow shrieked as it's body was ripped apart like numerous other ones around and swirled into the metal chamber in the middle of the apparatus. There was a purple flash of light as the hollow bodies became one and took on a new shape; the form of Lord Aizen himself. The man stepped out groggily, his rebirth complete, and waited as his zanpakuto was remade.

But not everything went as planned.

Aizen had only just grabbed the green hilt as Kyoka Suigetsu shimmered back into life, when a black creature fell from the ceiling and caught everyone off guard. It sniffed the air and looked around with sightless eyes, it's liquid form rippling slowly as it tried to piece everything together. Nobody moved, wondering silently what this creature was. Suddenly, without warning, the creature extended it's arm and grabbed Kyoka Suigetsu, black spikes stabbing Aizen's forearm. He tried to shake the creature off, but it refused to release it's prey, instead changing itself. The creature vanished into the zanpakuto and it's wielder, then all was silent for a few moments. Aizen's neutral face suddenly twisted into a mask of insanity as he grinned widely, his eyes hidden. He began laughing in a mentally deprived sort of way, as though his perfect world which he had built was crumbling into the black abyss of non-existence and his mind was being dragged down with it. He gazed at the dark sword, the transformation completed.

The green hilt, now burnt black and colourless, was firmly in his grip, the silver blade dulled to a glimmering onyx, and the guard was warped, a circular metal guard that had six sharp silver spines jutting from the edge and a further six claw-like spikes pointed upwards, the points barely touching the blade. From the pommel extended a short silver spike for extra lethal backhand attacks.

Aizen's sword was not the only thing that had changed; his right hand had some strange black armour covering it entirely, the strange substance extending up the forearm and jaggedly covered his elbow. Abruptly, a pair of vicious red eyes appeared on either side of the wrist and Aizen let out a loud burst of insane laughter, raising his head to reveal his eyes were narrowed and his mind indefinitely warped beyond repair. A hollow approached, attempting to ask what was wrong, when the zanpakuto vanished, leaving only the armoured arm, which then wrapped itself around the Hollow's throat. Aizen brought him close as the insanity spread over him.

"Did you know my blood is black?" he asked, a spike of black stabbing the hollow and injecting the black blood into the poor creature. It's mask became a black liquid and the hollow grew larger until it was at least an Adjuchas level hollow. "Now go," Aizen whispered. "Go destroy those meddlesome hybrids that killed me." The hollow nodded and vanished, allowing Aizen to turn to the other hollows, the insane grin still on his face. "Who's next?"

_**Shibusen Infirmary**_

Maka sat beside Crona, the Demon Sword Meister still barely alive despite the work professor Stein had put into him. She balled up her hands, clenching the hem of her skirt tightly as she looked at the pink-haired boy sadly. This was just like when Soul was injured after taking a lethal blow for her; she felt completely helpless and inept.

The white-haired boy in question walked in from the hall and placed a hand on his Meister's shoulder. She looked up at him and the sorrow in her eyes made his heart ache. He hated seeing her like this. He knew full well that she was beating herself up over something out of her control and that damaged her in ways that she didn't understand. He was taken aback when she abruptly spun round and clasped him in a tight hug, her eyes watering as a few tears slipped free, but he returned the hug, knowing full well that she would need the support he could offer.

"Come on, Maka, you can't keep doing this every time someone gets hurt." he whispered. "There wasn't anything you could have done about it."

"I know." she sniffed. "I just can't believe that Crona's lying here hurt because of it."

A pang of jealousy hit Soul, but he resisted the urge to lose control and released her, holding her by the upper arms.

"Lord Death wants to see us in the Death Room." he told her, snapping her from her depression. "Let's go, we shouldn't keep him waiting."

Maka nodded and grudgingly left Crona's side, following her weapon to the Death Room. As the two approached the platform at the centre of the room, Lord Death turned to acknowledge them in his usual fashion.

"Hi there!" he said with his usual overly-joyful tone. "Good to see ya! Everyone alright?"

"Good morning, Lord Death." Maka replied courteously.

"Well, looks like everyone's here at last." came a voice from behind Death. A boy with black hair, the left side of which had three white stripes over it, and amber eyes stepped out followed by two girls in matching attire, although one was taller and the other more voluptuous. "So, dad, why is it you called us here?"

"Well, Kid, it would appear that we have a problem on our hands. According to the report from Maka and Soul, something rather peculiar happened when the Demon Sword devoured the Kishin egg soul, some sort of strange culmination caused a mass of the black blood in Crona's body to be excreted and form a new creature, which then promptly left the area. This creature was then seen near Professor Stein's Laboratory, all of which seems irrelevant at first. Stein?"

Franken Stein appeared behind Soul and Maka, the screw in his head being manually cranked until it emitted a soft click. The professor looked up, a lit cigarette in his mouth, and continued.

"As not many of you will know, I have been working on a way of stopping the spread of the Madness Wavelength through temporal or spacial displacement, but these have been failures." he said, approaching the mirror behind Lord Death before turning around and adding; "Except, that is, for one which had an unwanted result. You see, while trying to design a machine to destroy the Madness the plagues the world by isolating it in dead space, I appear to have inadvertently made a bridge between here and another dimension."

"Wait, are you saying there is more than just one dimension?" Soul asked.

"Soul, technically there are four known dimensions, length, breadth, depth and time, so really I've stumbled across the fifth dimension; co-existing realities. Imagine it, multiple realities co-existing, never touching until I tore down the barrier between them by mistake. Anyway, that is unimportant. What is important is that the creature passed through safely before the machine malfunctioned and the link was severed.

"According to reasoning, the Kishin egg soul fused with the black blood that Medusa put inside Crona to form a new Kishin and made a new creature along the lines of Ragnarok; a creature capable of turning itself into a weapon or armour with ease. I assume I don't need to explain how bad this is and how serious it is that we contain the situation."

"Ordinarily, we would send a team of three Meisters with Resonance Link capability, but Black Star is in the middle of something and seems to have disappeared for the time being, probably something about the Enchanted Sword no doubt." Lord Death picked up. "So, due to limitations on the transport, we'll be sending you five as your mass is in accordance with the safe transport load Professor Stein has placed on his Spacial Manipulator. There are just a few important things to know first; One, the transport window is only a few hours long and we will be in a safe position to commence the transportation in about an hour; Two, we estimate that we can only bring you back in a week exactly from your departure, after that there is no guarantee you will make it back safely, so be sure to stop this thing by then; Three, communication to here will be interfered with by the dead space between the dimensions, therefore we can only communicate for a few hours after you have arrived and a few hours around the leaving time; And four, be careful on the other side, it could be dangerous. Ok?"

"Yes sir, Lord Death." the group replied.

"Excellent. Be at my lab no later than in one hour and I'll send you through." Stein said.

_**One Hour Later, Stein's Laboratory**_

"Ok, everyone's finally here, I see." Stein said as Maka and Soul arrived. "I didn't think you were coming."

"Soul got a little 'held up' with Blair." Maka said bitterly. Soul groaned.

"How many times do I have to tell you that she threw herself on me?" he asked. "You're making me out to be the problem, and that's not cool."

"If you two are quite done, we have work to do." Kid said coolly, throwing a glare at the partners. He turned to Stein. "When do we leave?"

Stein cracked a crazed smile.

"Right now." he stated, ushering the group into a room where a huge machine stood.

The professor typed in a few things on the computer screen beside the machine and it roared into life. Lights flashed, generators crackled and pumps began to flow as the middle machine, a large metal cylinder with a doorway cut into it, inside was a metal sphere of two parts attached to large rods of metal from the sides, began to activate. Red energy sparked between the two hemispheres as they began to come apart and the apparatus vanished as the doorway became a black and red swirling vortex. Stein stepped away from the console to address the group.

"This is the Spacial Manipulator which I call the Shock Bridge." he explained. "When you go through this vortex, your bodies will become energised and realign themselves on the other side. There may be side effects that you suffer from for a few hours but these will pass in due course. I should warn you all, however, that there may be some unusual mismatching parts that occur that you may acquire from each other, but your bodies will realign within a few minutes. In this time, weapons should not transform as it could lead to the effects being permanent, and I'm sure you won't want that.

"Remember, you only have a week, so be careful and deal with this thing quickly. That's really all you need to know, so get going one by one. If each of you waits a little bit before following, it should reduce the chance of mixed body parts. Kid, since you are a Reaper, you will go first, then Liz and Patty, followed by Maka and then Soul. We don't have time for much else, so get a move on."

The group nodded and left one by one. When it came to Soul's turn, he looked grudgingly at the swirling mass and wondered how it was he managed to get himself into these things, before taking a deep breath and stepping into the vortex. Instantly, he felt an electrical charge pass through him and a tingling sensation as if he had been electrocuted by a strong current. The red and black continued to pass him, nothing but red and black swirling for ages, and it began to seem that he would be alone in here, forever.

Meanwhile, back in the lab, the Shock Bridge was going out of control again. The professor struggled to control the machine, but the pressure was too great and a feedback of power fried the circuitry and electrocuted the man, the screw in his head conducting it into him before he was flung back against the wall with a sickening crack and slumped on the floor groggily. The console exploded and parts of the machine burst, sheared apart or ignited as it ceased to function and the vortex vanished, the cylinder smoking and buzzing as blue electricity flared over it lazily, the feedback from the device evident. Stein straightened up and stood with a struggle and looked at the wreckage with worry on his face.

"Oh my," he said. "I hope they all made it through, else they may be left in the dead space forever." He sighed and left the room. "Better let Lord Death know about this."

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_Oh dear, what's going to happen, eh?_

_Well, who knows, I guess it's anyone's guess what random crap I'll spout next._

_Yes, I am a SoMa and an IchiRuki fan. For those unfamiliar with my Fanfics for Bleach, KaiHime refers to Orihime and my OC Kai being in a relationship, as they are in all my After War based Fanfics._

_I've thought long and hard over this, and I hope to post a chapter a week on one of my ongoing Fanfics, but I can't guarantee anything; being at a crucial stage for GCSEs is a pain like that._

_For now, I'm afraid you must wait, but please do read and review._

_Let me know anything for a plotline for this crossover and add it to your alerts/favourites and I'll reward you with a look ahead before the rest of the crowd._

_Yeah, it's an incentive to review, so what?_

_Please don't be afraid to PM me or just review._

_Ok, I've bored you guys and girls long enough now, so I'll go for now._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Spoilers up to Soul Eater episode 25, you have been warned.**_

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

_**Additional: **Oh, wow, such positive feedback I've been getting. After the first chapter I stand with some favourites and a single review, so I'd say that this is going well. I would like you to post a review, it helps to have constructive criticism about my work so that I can perfect it._

_And I'm being serious with the look ahead, by the way, so sceptics about this can put their minds to rest. To get a preview, add to favourites or alerts _**AND** _review! I may not have made that clear, so I let it go this time. Sorry.

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**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 2: Team Up**

"Exploded?" Lord Death repeated worriedly. "Did the group make it through alright?"

"Well, sir, it is hard to say." Stein replied solemnly. "Seeing as how Kid went first, he would most definitely be safe, as will both of his weapons, but Soul and Maka are another issue." He paused and bowed his head. "I'm sorry that this happened, sir. It seems I over-estimated the capacity of the machine and it couldn't take the strain."

"That's alright, Stein, it wasn't your fault, after all, these things are always risky. Is your machine repairable?"

"I think so, but it will take some time to get it back in working order."

"Very well. Use whatever you need to get the Shock Bridge working again." Lord Death turned to face the mirror as Stein left. "I sure hope nothing has happened to those kids."

_**Alternate Dimension, Karakura Forest**_

Soul felt a searing pain come over him as he fell sharply and plunged from the vortex, hitting the ground hard with a heavy thump. He groaned as his eyes adjusted, his blurred vision slowing becoming clearer as time passed, revealing the blurred, pinkish-blonde thing in his vision to be Maka, worry obvious in her red eyes as she looked down at her weapon.

It took a moment to sink in, but Soul frowned when he finally noticed it.

"Maka?" he asked groggily.

"Soul!" she cried, smiling. "It's about time you woke up!"

"Maka, what's up with your eyes?"

"Huh?" The girl tilted her head to the right in a confused look that made her seem all the more cuter to the sharp-toothed male. He mentally shook that thought so that he could think fluently without stumbling over words and making an ass of himself.

"Your eyes, they're red."

"What are you-"

"He's right, you know." came a voice. The pair looked over to see Death the Kid with an unusually long left arm and right leg. "You two have swapped eyes."

"Kid, why are your arms and legs so disproportional?" Soul asked, sending Kid into a flurry.

"Shut up! It's not my fault I've suddenly become so malformed and unsymmetrical and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't point it out to me; it's unnatural enough as it is!" Kid's shouts had gone from a controlled rant to a violent rage-filled outburst. Liz and Patty sighed, approaching their Meister.

"Hey, you're right, it isn't your fault." Liz said softly, trying to calm him.

"Yeah," Patty added. "I mean, it's not like you're the only one unsymmetrical; look at us."

Kid took one look at Liz with her stumpy, black-sleeved arm and Patty with a short leg ending in an uncharacteristically formal black shoe and burst into tears.

"Dammit, you're right, I'm garbage!" he yelled, pounding the ground. "Totally unsymmetrical, disgusting garbage! I don't deserve to live!"

"Oh, great, here we go again." Liz mumbled, deadpan, while her younger sister laughed. "Patty, I really wish you would think before saying stuff like that in front of Kid."

"Oh, I'm sorry, sis." Patty managed between laughs. "It's just so funny how he reacts."

"Hey, Kid, snap out of it!" Soul barked, propping himself up beside Maka. "The effects will pass in a few minutes, we just have to stay put for a while."

"Soul has a point." Maka pitched in. "That said, though, we don't know where 'here' _is_, therefore we should be cautious."

Suddenly, a sonic boom echoed above before something smashed into the ground in the clearing a few feet from them. They looked as a boy with black hair with a single white section in black robes stood, wielding two strange pistols with armour covering his arms and fury in his dark eyes.

"You bastard," he growled in a thick English accent, his pistols glowing with a red aura. "I'm not done yet!"

He turned suddenly as he heard a sudden shout from Kid.

"P-perfect symmetry!" he yelled, not seeing the white until the boy turned. "Such beautiful weapons! What a magnificent-"

"Kid, shut up already!" Liz snapped, agitated that he was going on about another person's weapons. "We're your weapons, remember?"

"Yes, of course, I was simply saying-"

"Sorry, but who the hell are you five?" The boy turned to them fully, head tilted to the right with a look of confusion on it.

"Huh? Do you mean our names?" Maka asked.

"No, I mean you can see me. You guys aren't from around here but you can see me, and-" he paused, then added, pointing to Liz, Patty and Kid. "What on Earth happened to you three?"

"Please, don't bring that up, I've only just got over it." Kid whimpered.

An explosion echoed above and the boy turned away, cursing as he leapt up, his Haori flowing behind him. The group exchanged confused looks as they followed the boy's path to a large creature with a black mask that seemed to be flowing like tar.

"Who was that?" Liz asked, confused by the whole incident. "And what is that up there? A Kishin?"

"Doesn't matter," Soul said, preparing to change into a scythe. "Let's get up there."

"No," Maka replied, grabbing his wrist. "The effects of the Shock Bridge are still on us; we don't know if that will damage our soul wavelengths. We'll just have to sit it out this time."

Soul looked as though he would disobey, but the pleading look in his Meister's eyes melted his heart and he relented, stepping back.

"Ok, since you put it like that," Soul muttered. "It wouldn't be cool for me to disobey my Meister."

Maka breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, causing Soul to realise how cute she was when she smiled at him.

"Thank you, Soul. I know that was a hard decision, but it'll be just a few more minutes."

"Yeah, I guess so."

_**Above Karakura Forest**_

Ichigo launched another Tenshou at the creature, but it wouldn't die, punching it's attacker in the chest, where his cleaver barely blocked in time as the arm extended, allowing the hollow to fling the 5th Squad Captain far away..

"Shit," he swore as he was forced backward through the air. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

The blue lunar fang sliced the fist and the hollow retracted it with a roar, the wound healing as the black substance that covered the arm knitted together again. Rukia struck, her Shikai leaving a frozen section of the strange armour, but it was covered by more of the stuff and left no damage.

"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" she yelled, sending the wave of ice her zanpakuto generated crashing over the hollow, completely submerging it. Kai abruptly appeared, crossing his wrists and aiming both barrels of his pistols at the beast.

"Ichigo, now!" he barked, a red sphere charging before the pistols. "Hyper Dragon Fang!"

The sphere burst into a huge barrage of reiatsu charges like earlier but twice as powerful. Ichigo caught on and flew at the creature as it was bombarded by Kai's vicious attack.

"Getsuga," he yelled, raising his blade over his head and pouring as much of his reiatsu into it as the zanpakuto would withstand, blue strands of power spiralling around the whole blade as it began to glow blue itself. "Tenshou!"

The resulting energy wave was huge, capable of levelling a few blocks of downtown Karakura if they had been on the ground. It tore across the sky and struck the black-coated creature full on, the force of both attacks causing a blast of smoke to shroud the hollow as it roared in pain.

"That should do it." Ichigo said, but he was sorely mistaken.

The hollow leapt from the smokescreen and cut Ichigo deep with a blade that had once been it's arm before slamming Kai into the air and punched him hard in the gut then lunging at Rukia.

"Don't you dare touch her, you bastard!" Ichigo roared, striking the hollow in the chest, but he couldn't leave a lasting wound. The hollow growled warningly, but the orange-haired captain ignored it and kicked the huge blade of Zangetsu to make the wound worse, but the thick hide of the beast refused to yield. "Why won't you die?"

The hollow yelled in pain as a second blade appeared. The red and black jagged blade sank into the shoulder of the beast and snagged it, pulling the hollow downward. Ichigo recovered from his shock quickly, and chased it with Rukia close behind. A series of red blast hammered the creature as it fell and Kai joined the chase again. The creature hit the ground, cracking the surrounding area, and the Soul Reapers quickly spotted the weapon and it's owner.

The blonde haired girl's emerald eyes glinted as she wrenched the scythe from her prey and hit it with another swing, but the hollow grabbed it and threw the weapon and the girl over it's shoulder. Kai's shots distorted a metallic shout as the scythe left it's Meister's hands, hammering heavily into the beast, when another series of bursts tore through the air and slammed into the creature, these ones pink and coming from the opposite side of the beast. Exhausted, it fell over, resting, but it had made an error. Quick as a flash, the girl lunged at it, the scythe...

"What the hell happened to it?" Ichigo asked aloud, referring to the blue hue that covered the blade and the extra flick on the other side of the staff to the original blade.

"The signature power of the Scythe Meister," she said, the blade increasing in size hugely before she yelled; "Witch Hunter!" She looked to the area where the pink shots had been fired. "Kid, now!"

"Soul Resonance!" came a voice as the dark-haired owner leapt forward, the pistols turning pink and elongating over his mid-forearms to form huge cannons with three spikes jutting from his upper arms.

"Resonance stable," came a metallic voice as he touched down and two dark red skulls appeared over the cannons. "Noise level at 5.2%."

"Dark needle soul wavelength charged." came another voice.

"Feedback in 3..."

"2..."

"1."

"Ready to fire!"

"Here goes." The boy raised his arms and aimed the barrels of his weapons down at the creature. "Death Cannon!"

The beast roared as the blast of energy that came from the 'Death Cannon' slammed into it at high speed, punching a hole in it's armour, where the girl then slashed the scythe, piercing the thick hide and leaving a mortal wound in it's chest the thing tried to leave, but a dragons head attached to a blade and a chain caused it to freeze as Kai, who was using his Frenzy Mode now, gripped the other end of the chain tightly and tore it upwards, cleaving the body and bisecting the distorted mask. The hollow let out a pitiful moan before bursting into flames and dying.

Kai sealed his zanpakuto in it's original state and joined Ichigo and Rukia. They looked over and spotted the group of newcomers nearby, heading over to them.

"Hey, you two!" Ichigo yelled as they reached them. The boy and the girl looked over.

"Two?" the girl questioned. "There are five of us, just like there's seven... Uh, six, of you."

"Wait a minute, there are three of us and two of you," Rukia interjected. "What are you talking about with there being twice that?"

"I have a more pressing question;" the boy spoke up, referring to Kai. "I've never known anyone to use three weapons, especially not the way you do. Could you do us the honour of showing your weapons?"

"Back off, dammit." Kai growled. "No one touches Supernova, end of."

"No no, I meant the human state."

"Huh?"

"What is it?" came a third voice as the scythe turned blue and took the form of a white-haired boy. "Can't they transform properly?"

"Zanpakuto don't take human forms, idiots." Ichigo stated. "Now, what squad are you with?"

"Squad?" the first boy asked. "Wait, are you telling me you aren't Meisters?"

"The hell we are." Kai grunted. "Now then, who are you, 'cause I remember your faces but we never got acquainted. I'm Kai Friel, Vizard Squad Captain. These are Captain Ichigo Kurosaki and Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki of 5th Squad."

"Oh, this is embarrassing." The first boy threw his weapons up, allowing them to take their true forms. "I am Death the Kid, Demon Pistol Meister and son of Lord Death. These are my weapon partners, Patty and Liz Thompson."

"I'm Maka Albarn, 1-star Scythe Meister," the girl beside him said. "And this is my partner, Soul Eater Evans."

Soul growled.

"Do you really have to call me by my surname?" he asked. "Why not just 'Soul Eater'? It's so much cooler."

"Quiet." Kid snapped at Soul and Maka before turning to the others. "Now then, if you're not Meisters from the DWMA, who do you follow?"

"We're Soul Reapers from Soul Society." Rukia replied civilly.

"Ah, the legendary Soul Society. I've heard quite a bit about it, but I never thought I'd meet someone from there."

"Tell us, what are you doing here?" Kai asked.

"We're looking for a particularly dangerous entity." Kid started.

"That creature had a similar wavelength to this one we're searching for, but we're a bit off from it if you ask me." Soul finished.

"You haven't seen anything odd lately, have you?" Maka asked. "Like maybe more of those things."

"Pfft." Kai scoffed. "Hollows are a normal occurrence here, but never that powerful or distorted like."

"Maybe Urahara knows something about this." Rukia offered.

"I'll admit, he may be useless at times, but maybe you're right, Rukia." Kai turned to the group. "Come with us, we're going to a certain shop-keeper for some answers."

The five nodded and followed the Soul Reapers towards the Urahara Shoten, but on the way, while Ichigo and Rukia had one of their 'special moments' (in other words, Rukia had climbed onto his back and Ichigo was protesting over it, despite the fact that he enjoyed it secretly), Kai turned to Soul and Maka and asked them a few questions.

"Hey, that move you called 'Soul Resonance'; what is it?" he said.

"You really don't know a thing about Weapons and Meisters, do you?" Soul sighed.

"You tryin' to make something of this, or are you going to answer me?"

"Ignore him," Maka said coolly. "He's not used to meeting someone from another dimension."

"Oh, I'm from here, I just got dragged into this whole Soul Reaper business by mistake."

Soul frowned.

"Why is it you have such a different accent to those two?" he asked, nodding to Ichigo and Rukia.

"Tell you what, I'll answer if you'll answer me."

"Deal." They shook hands and Kai nodded.

"Alright then, this is Japan, yeah? Except I'm not native but Ichigo and Rukia are. I was originally from Britain."

"I see." It was Maka who had replied. "That's why you sound so familiar." She dropped the matter and answered the previous question. "Soul Resonance allows a weapon and a Meister to unite their souls and match wavelengths, allowing us to us more powerful moves like Witch Hunter. Each different weapon type has a different Soul Resonance form, but the basic principal stays the same."

Kai nodded and looked ahead.

"Sounds like you two really have to like each other for it to work."

The pair blushed and looked away, but said nothing.

_**Urahara Shoten, Later**_

The group arrived swiftly and Kai was tackled by an auburn blur as his busty girlfriend slammed him into a hug on the floor.

"Are you alright?" Orihime asked, gripping him tightly. "I felt your reiatsu spike and I thought you were in trouble! What happened?"

"Ori... Hime..." he choke, the hug wrapped absent-mindedly around his neck. "Can't... Breathe!"

"Oh, sorry!" She released him and they sat up, Kai supporting himself with his right hand, left leg bent at the knee in the air, his left hand on his throat.

"Calm down, I didn't die, ok? We just had more trouble with this one than usual. It's dead though, so don't panic."

Urahara appeared at the doorway.

"Oh my, back so soon?" he said in a cheery tone. "I thought you'd be longer."

"Kisuke, we've got some people here who need some help from you." Ichigo said.

"Well, they had better come in then." He moved aside and called into the shop. "Tessai, prepare some tea for our guests!"

* * *

_Yes! Half term is here!_

_Ok, I had the day off today, so figured I'd finish this chapter off and upload it._

_Don't expect miracles though, my work is still pretty heavy. Won't ease off until summer holidays when they can't give us all this crap most probably._

_Oh well, that's life I guess._

_I've decided to put this on ice and do the next chapter of After the Winter War (I forget which chapter this will be, but there you go.) so it will be at least two weeks before the next update here, for which I apologise._

_Anyway, that will be used to boost awareness of this one, but in the mean time, please read, review and favourite. If you're interested in receiving a look ahead, be sure to do all of these!_

_Okay, I'm gonna hit the gym._

_Later guys and girls._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Spoilers up to Soul Eater episode 25, you have been warned.**_

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 3: Surprise for the Newcomers**

Tessai walked out as Urahara sipped from his cup, the crowded round table split with the newcomers sat close and admiring the odd back room in the sweet shop. Kid sat between the Thompson sisters and Soul and Maka sat to the right of them, all looking a little out of place.

"So," Ichigo finally broke the silence, Zangetsu propped beside him. "That thing wasn't a hollow." Kid shook his head.

"No," he replied. "It was closer to an abomination of a cross-breed between this 'hollow' and a Kishin. Truthfully, we did not expect something like that when we passed through the dimensions." Kai scoffed, causing Kid to turn his way. "Something funny?"

"What you just said, you make it seem like dimensional travel is a new thing," he replied.

"Well, it is for us," Kid said defensively. He paused and his gaze landed on Orihime and he swallowed. "Excuse me, miss...?"

"Orihime," the girl replied. Kid nodded.

"Miss Orihime, has anyone ever told you that you... are perfectly symmetrical?" Orihime blinked.

"Huh?" She cocked her head in confusion.

"It's a big compliment from this nut," Liz explained, before then turning to Kid. "You need your eyes checking."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kid asked.

"Well, for starters, that guy next to her's been glaring at you since you started complimenting her," she gestured to Kai's icy stare. "And you missed her left hand."

Kid's gaze dropped to the left ring finger and his grimaced. Sat on the finger was a small item that he had overlooked, but now was visible as the light glinted off of it. The silver and gold twisted ring was the cause for Kid's distress.

"Damn!" he cried, headbutting the table. "Why does everything symmetrical I find end up asymmetrical?" Kai was taken aback.

"Is this guy for real?" he asked the albino, who nodded.

"Yeah, pretty much," Soul groaned.

"Is there any chance we can get another ring exactly the same as that one?" Kid asked hopefully. Kai snorted slightly.

"You're joking, right? That ring's one of a kind now; the guy who made it probably hasn't been around for fifty years."

"Are you certain about that?"

"I know how old that thing is; yes, I'm certain."

Kid slumped forwards.

"Damn..." he pouted.

Everyone exchanged strange looks when Kai abruptly nodded and stood, turning to Ichigo.

"It's time, Ichigo," he said, causing a mixture of reactions; Kid, Maka, Soul and the Thompsons exchanged confused looks while the Soul Reapers just nodded knowingly.

"Alright," Ichigo grunted, standing. "We'll be back later."

"Be careful," Orihime said to Kai, who grinned and kissed her lips.

"You got it," he replied before heading down a ladder with Ichigo behind him. There was a pause, then Maka spoke up.

"What was that all about?" she asked quizzically. Urahara finished his tea and smiled.

"Training," he said bluntly. Maka shook her head.

"I guessed that much, but why did he just suddenly nod and announce that out of nowhere?"

"Ah, I see, they haven't shown you, have they?" Urahara snapped open a fan to hide his lower face. Soul frowned.

"Shown us what?" he asked. He was still edgy over what was going on.

"Go down there and see for yourself; I'm sure they won't mind too much. Just stay out of the barrier."

Exchanging sceptical looks with one another, the Shibusen students gingerly climber down and watched the scene unfold before them;

The two were stood in a large area with a blue energy field around it and targets strewn across the site. Maka looked around and realised the underground area was in fact huge, much larger than the shop above, and the ceiling was painted like the sky, probably to add to the realism of the rocky training ground. She suddenly became aware of something she was not before. She blinked, unsure at first whether her soul perception was off or not, but after a while she realised what the shop keeper had meant.

"Two souls," she mused. Soul shot her a querying glance.

"What's that?" he asked, noticing her hand was trembling. "Hey, Maka, what is it?"

"They both have two souls."

"Huh? Are you sure that your eyes aren't playing tricks?"

"I'm serious, Soul," Maka snapped. "It's not like they're the same souls, it's two different ones for each... Wait, what's that?"

As she watched, the souls seemed to mesh into a new form of soul altogether.

_What the hell is this?_ She wondered. _How can they have two souls and then make them one so easily? Are they Kishins?_

Meanwhile, inside the field, Kai grinned.

"Looks like we've got an audience," he commented. Ichigo nodded.

"Let's get this started," he growled, focussing his energy into Zangetsu. "You guys ready?"

"**We are, Ichigo,**" Zangetsu's voice echoed.

"Get it in gear, Ichigo," Kai said, unsheathing Supernova. "I have an excuse for taking my time about this."

Kai discarded his Haori, so as to keep it undamaged in the training, while Ichigo channelled the last of his reiatsu into the zanpakuto, which now began to glow blue.

"Zangetsu, preparation stage!" he yelled, causing the cleaver to twist into it's original Bankai, before then altering.

Since learning about his Supreme Release, the orange-haired Soul Reaper's Bankai had returned to it's original state but with black claws on his hands, since his Supreme Release had two stages for activation; the preparation stage and the activation stage. The preparation stage activates his Bankai then extends the guard into a warped, stick-like version of itself, tore his right sleeve away and wrapped a chain up his arm. His right hand also developed a black glove that fused his hand to the hilt of the black katana. With this form active, Ichigo cracked his neck and waited.

Kai's scar started glowing, faint white at first but growing brighter and blue, and he slammed his hand into it, setting off a blast of reiatsu.

"Enigma activate!" he yelled, drawing his hand away from the scar. A flourish of blue light followed his hand and formed a small device in his right hand. Taking the device, he hit the top with his left hand, causing sparks of red to splutter from the device. "Cypher unlock!" The blue crystals inside the device turned red and shattered out of the metallic object, turning it to dust which then swirled around the Soul Reaper in a flurry. He started channelling his power into the zanpakuto he had grabbed once more. "What do you say, go all out for these guys?"

Ichigo grinned and nodded.

"Let's do it!" he yelled, vanishing. Kai smirked.

"Predictable," he said, blocking the swing at his back without turning or missing a beat. A shockwave of power shook the ground as Ichigo's heavier strength hit Kai's higher reiatsu and both fought for dominance. "Trying to stop me transforming, eh? Try this, then!"

Kai vanished, his speed in this state being greater than Ichigo had anticipated as Kai had always held back a little before then. When Ichigo found him, Kai's mask was on and a six-point cero was halfway through charging on his finger tip. The blast tore through the space between them and missed by inches, but Kai used the time to complete his transformation.

"Hypernova Dragon, rise!" he yelled as Ichigo got too close.

red-white flames erupted around Kai as his mask vanished, and Ichigo instinctively dropped back to avoid being charred as he had been the first time they had done this. Kai's body hardened and became dragon-like with two large wings and a tail forming behind him. The sword changed with the makeshift guard binding around his chest and the blade turning pure silver with a black spiked hilt and an orange flame-like binding between the grip and the blade. The helmet, a dragon's head with two large horns and a red crest on the top, solidified as the fire subsided.

Ichigo nodded and lunged at Kai, but the katana glanced off of the hefty sword and almost caught his arm. He kicked Kai's head and evaded the blind slash he knew the boy would attempt, getting some distance. Kai's eyes darkened, the irises a shadowy scarlet as he glared, tightening his grip on the sword as flames started to burn around the blade.

"Hypernova Chaos Wave!" Kai roared, loosing a horizontal wave of red and black energy laced in red-white flames.

Ichigo dodged to one side but found a vertical one baring down on him.

"Shit," he cursed. "Too late to dodge."

The wave exploded and Kai risked a grin in the hopes that he had gotten Ichigo, but his face fell when the smoke cleared; the area around him was burnt and tore apart, but Ichigo was fine and he had used his time carefully.

Ichigo's zanpakuto had vanished altogether now, the shihaksho and upper body's robes too, but now a set of bluish bandages wrapped tightly around his right arm, torso and the lower part of his face, where a series of small tooth-like structures had formed. His eyes had turned a shade of red similar to his usual brown and his hair had grown to his waist and turned black. Along his bare left arm were a series of tribal-style markings and his right arm started emitting a smoky-black reiatsu that twisted around the length of his arm and rose above his head. **(Note: This is the Final Getsuga Tenshou design, if that's unclear; I figured it would be good to use here.)**

"Sneaky," Kai said. "Very sneaky. Think you can try hollowfying?"

"I'll give it a shot," Ichigo replied, raising his left hand to his face.

"Then so will I." Kai did the same.

Kai's mask appeared first, starting as the triple-horned mask and growing into the ram-horned menace, then Ichigo's finally took hold, forming the bull-horned mask. At first nothing happened, then Ichigo's form changed first, the chest opening to bare a hole, the bandages darkened and red-amber eyes shining through the mask's eye slits. Kai was next, losing the helmet for his mask and growing darker in colour.

Outside, the group gaped.

"What the hell are these guys?" Soul asked. "Those masks, those weapons, I've never seen anything like them!"

"Nor have I," Kid acknowledged. "Whatever they are, their power is certainly off of the scales of anything we have encountered before with the exception of Asura. Obviously we could learn much from them."

"It's a two-way street, Kid," Maka said, mesmerised by the two clashing forces. "That one with five horns; he was curious about Soul Resonance. Maybe we can offer a trade of knowledge?"

"That could be risky, Maka," Kid replied. "If they learn Soul Resonance with this much power and control it, we may be in trouble should they turn against us."

"That's a risk we have to take. That creature was from the one that hurt Crona; I can't let it get away without punishment."

Soul looked at Maka worriedly. He had never seen such determination in her since she vowed to become stronger for his sake. His gaze lingered on her for a while more, before he tore it back to the arena as an explosion tore through it, dust distorting their sight.

The black blade hit the Soul Reaper's right arm and would have taken it off if not for the strong power that the black reiatsu possessed. It thickened at Ichigo's will and allowed him to parry without a weapon, before punching Kai in the stomach. Ichigo focussed, closing his eyes.

_Come on, Hichigo,_ he willed. _Let's use a Cero._

"_Tch, you got it,_" the hollow growled in Ichigo's head.

Ichigo opened his eyes and focussed his reiatsu into his horns, something he was not used to, and watched as his red Cero began to build between them, but he knew Kai's was stronger and faster, so he would have to move fast. As he had hoped, Kai lowered his head, sparks pulsing over the central horns, and went to one knee, gripping the ground; a position he adopted for this Cero as it was too powerful to fire standing. The two Ceros charged and fired simultaneously, meeting a little closer to Ichigo than the middle, and fought one another, a distortion of reiatsu building as they battled, but the epicentre was slowly shifting towards the bandaged male.

Above ground, the shop began to shake. Everyone exchanged looks of confusion.

"That's never happened before," Rukia said, looking at the empty cup on the table top as it danced around in the shaking. "What the hell are they doing?"

"Let's go find out," Orihime said worriedly.

Soul watched in amazed bewilderment as a blue light built where the energy beams met, sending bolts of electricity this way and that.

"Are they using their wavelengths like you do, Kid?" he asked. The amber-eyed boy shook his head.

"It's similar, but it's not compressed; this is their wavelengths in their raw form," Kid explained.

Rukia and Orihime appeared behind the small group and stared at the sight before them.

"What the hell are they both using Ceros for?" Rukia asked. "They aren't even holding back."

"What's going on?" Liz asked. "You called those attacks 'Ceros', right?"

"That's right, but I've never seen them use them like this." The group of seven stared as the darker beam poured surged forwards and exploded in a burst of flames. Rukia gasped with her eyes wide. "Ichigo!"

Ichigo smirked to himself as he flung himself to one side and cancelled his Cero. The smokescreen the explosion left kept his movements hidden. He flash-stepped close and went to generate his own sword...

But his target was not there.

"What the-" his questioned remained unfinished as the sound of wind rushing passed him caught his attention.

Kai's large wings beat powerfully, taking him into the air before Ichigo reached him, and began to remove the smokescreen, revealing Ichigo shielding his eyes from the flurry of dust, his mask gone. He landed and shouldered the sword.

"Did you really think I'd be that stupid?" he asked, black fire burning over his weapon and arm. "It's over."

Kai took to the air again and built his momentum up to increase his attack power before lunging at Ichigo, his body becoming a burning arrow tearing through the air. Ichigo ran at him and raised his right hand, a thin slither of black extended from it. Kai's eyes widened, but he couldn't pull off the attack as he was already in the attack's range. He glared and roared.

"Ultimate Chaos Wave, Devastating Strike!" he yelled as the blade neared it's target.

"Mugetsu!" Ichigo roared back, swinging his arm downward.

A dome of black surrounded the two fighters and obstructed everyone's sight of the battle. The dome cleared and released a blast of power that had been trapped inside it, causing the barrier to fall. Kai stood with his back to Ichigo, about eight metres between them, his body still wreathed in flames as they slowly extinguished themselves. For a while, it seemed the attacks had cancelled each other out, but then Ichigo's bandages cracked and shattered, revealing the lower part of his face. He coughed and produced a splatter of blood, his left side burnt and heavily wounded. He fell to his knee and panted, clutching the worst of the wounds.

"Damn," he cursed.

Kai's fire had vanished except for his arm and it seemed he had not be harmed, but then his zanpakuto fell from his hand. He fell backwards, his Extreme Release turning into red reiatsu as he did so, and passed out, a series of wounds spiralled over his body. Orihime rushed forwards and pulled Kai over to Ichigo, insisting on healing both at once. Rukia smiled.

"Baka," she said quietly, before turning to the group. "Kisuke says you can use the spare rooms in the shop as long as you need them. We'll help you should you need it." Rukia turned to leave but her left arm snagged as Maka took it. She looked at the ash-blonde girl quizzically.

"What was that just now?" Maka asked. "Those masks, the different forms their weapons took; what are they?"

Rukia looked over Maka and at the pair lying inside the orange energy field and nodded to herself.

"They're Neo-Vizards," she replied. "And those weapons are zanpakuto. Now, I've got to go tell Kisuke those two baka have torn up his training ground again."

Rukia turned away from Maka and went up the ladder to report the situation to the shop keeper. The girl turned to the three strangers before them and walked to their side. Kai turned to her, his wounds mostly healed. Maka's gaze seemed somewhat confused, but he cracked a half-smile.

"I've been in worse conditions," he said.

"How are your wounds closed already?" Maka queried.

"Us Soul Reapers have pretty tough bodies and the Vizard attributes give Ichigo and I high-speed regeneration to a degree; fully hollowfying gives that to us in full strength."

"I see, but still, this ability..." Maka looked at Orihime as she focussed on the final touches to the healing. "I've never seen something so powerful."

Orihime blushed slightly and smiled.

"I'm not that good at it, really!" she protested as the energy vanished into her hair clips. "Hachi's really good at this kind of stuff!"

"Yeah, guy's great, but he can only do it with both hands," Kai said, standing up and turning to Maka again. "What is it you wanted exactly?"

"I wanted to know more about how to utilise that kind of power in battle." Maka's statement was bold and her tone unwavering, her outwardness impressing Kai.

"What, like, controlling an inner hollow?" he asked. The green-eyed girl nodded. "I'm not sure if we'd be able to. Do you have a hollow?"

"No, but there is something like it that Soul and I can use if we can focus," Maka paused. "We'll pay you back." Kai frowned and cocked his head to one side.

"How's that then?" he asked. "You want to control a great power; what's like that which you have?"

"Resonance. I've seen your souls-"

"You did what now?" Kai asked, confused and slightly aggravated for an unknown reason, causing Maka to flinch.

"I've got this ability, it lets me see the soul of someone in my sight. The point is, I've seen how your weapons-"

"Zanpakuto," Ichigo corrected.

"How your zanpakuto have a separate soul that is linked to your own, but when fighting there is only so much of a link in wavelengths." Maka let it sink in then went on. "The idea of Soul Resonance is to boost the power of the weapon by matching the weapon and meister wavelengths to form a unison. If you had that ability, you would have a heightened advantage over someone of your calibre... There is one drawback, though."

"And what's that?" Ichigo asked.

"Well, actually two; for starters, your last few forms fused the souls fully, therefore Resonance would do nothing there, but more crucially is that you may succumb to 'Madness'." Maka saw the blank looks and elaborated. "Basically, you lose control of yourself and feel no fear or pain."

Kai looked at Ichigo then Orihime and back to Maka, his face changing from slight confusion to a friendly smile.

"Alright," he said, holding out his hand. "You've got a deal, Maka, wasn't it?"

"That's right," Maka took the hand and shook it. "You know, Kai, you're not so different to Soul." Kai laughed a little.

"You saying all English people are similar?"

They laughed and went upstairs to join the others, a new friendship having been forged.

_**Heuco Mundo**_

The cave was filled with the crazed laughter as Aizen worked, his hollows exchanging worried looks. A hollow much smaller than the others was shoved from the group at the far side of the insane man and cowered before him.

"L-Lord Aizen?" it managed shakily. "The- the- the- the- the first hollow you made has been k-k-killed!" The small hollow hid it's head and waited for the man to conjure his sword and cleave his skull from it's perch on it's neck, but it never came.

"Killed, eh?" Aizen chirped. "That's ok, I can make a stronger one; a better Kishin-Hollow." He wheeled around and stared at a pair of larger hollows. "Bring me two adjuchas and an arrancar of any level, I have much to get on with." The pair ran off without a second thought, glad to be away from the man, who had turned back to his console. "Not long now, not long now, my pets!" He let out a sinister, twisted laugh. "My blood is black and you'll soon be back!"

A loud laugh echoed from the cave again as Aizen set about his work, his small pupils twitching maniacally.

* * *

_Oh my, an insane Aizen(!)_

_So what else is new?_

_I know this is a long ass piece of writing, but I was key when I thought of it, so there you go._

_Anyway, make sure to review and favourite if you want to keep reading this thing and I haven't weirded you out._

_Oh, and I've scrapped the look ahead, by the way; not enough people taking it for me to do it efficiently._

_So, stay alert for my next post, whenever that will be, and thank you for reading this far!_

_Alright, I'm off. Make sure you read The Black Hollow and Bleach: After The Winter War by myself if you're growing confused by something on the Soul Reaper side; it's all in there._

_Anyway, bye for now!_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Spoilers up to Soul Eater episode 25, you have been warned.**_

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending two Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 4: How to Resonate Souls**

Rukia and Ichigo walked to the Kurosaki Clinic in silence, Rukia frowning all the while. Eventually, Ichigo sighed and relented.

"Alright, I give," he said abruptly. "What's bugging you, Rukia?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rukia replied stiffly, proving she did have something troubling her, a habit she had picked up, Ichigo noted, from Byakuya.

"Don't give me that; you've been frowning all the way from Urahara's. You can tell me what's wrong, you know; it's part of my job as your Captain."

"Alright, fine, there's no need to get on your high horse about it!" Rukia snapped, folding her arms over her chest defensively. Ichigo scoffed.

"You're one to talk- OW!" The orange-haired male rubbed his head sourly. "Dammit, why do you always do that? More to the point, how did you get my head?" Another hit one Rukia's part, this time on Ichigo's shin and the two had to stop while he nursed his injuries.

"Alright, I'm a little confused about something that happened earlier," Rukia admitted finally after a brief silence. Ichigo looked up and silently prompted her on. "The fight you and Kai had, what the hell was that at the end?"

"Mugetsu," Ichigo replied. "It creates a dome of reiatsu around me and my target, then hits them with a very powerful version of Getsuga Tenshou in the pitch black."

"Moonless Sky, huh? Yet another precocious name for an attack, I see." She paused again. "Then again, I suppose it must be powerful if it was able to cancel out Kai's attack."

"It didn't," Ichigo said, holding his left upper arm in the memory of the fight. "He missed."

_**Flashback**_

As Ichigo swung downwards, Kai moved his wings slightly and his path shifted a little to the right, now aiming a bit to Ichigo's left. Ichigo was confused, but the attack hit him and his hit Kai before he could question it and his question was answered by himself as the attacks caused damage to each of the combatants, but the motive became clear when the damage was inflicted.

_**Flashback End**_

"Wait, what?" Rukia asked.

"Kai's attack is stronger than mine, he knew it would have torn Mugetsu to pieces if it was head on," Ichigo explained. "The problem is my abilities aren't developing as quickly, so they're kinda hard to control, plus I can't use them to their full extent. Kai's managing to control them, but at the same time, he's growing more able with them; he came round pretty quickly today."

"There's just one more thing I don't get; why did he pass out then?" Ichigo smiled at the cute look of confusion Rukia had.

"The rush of power is immense at that stage and Kai's body has to adapt to the vast amount of reiatsu to allow him to use it fluently, therefore when it dissipates, he can't withstand the lower reiatsu level very quickly so his body shuts down to adjust to it. That's why he can't use his Devastating Strike straight away; his body takes a while to adapt to it."

"I see..." Ichigo's phone buzzed and he frowned at the screen. Rukia smiled a little as she saw Ichigo's face turn to annoyance.

"Don't even start, old man, we're..." Ichigo paused, annoyance changing to a frown. "What do you mean? Yeah, I... That was tonight? Crap... No, something came up, couldn't get out of it... Alright, see you then." He hung up and turned to Rukia. "That was dad. Apparently Yuzu's recital was tonight."

Rukia's eyes widened a little.

"Damn, I knew there was something I forgot this morning!" she cursed her brain for being unable to remind her of something important as that.

"Yeah, me too. Doesn't matter anyway, it's almost over. Dad said to get home and that there was food in the fridge that we can reheat." Ichigo stood. "Come on, it's getting dark."

The pair walked further on, the chill biting at them both in their uniforms, though Ichigo had a jacket hung over his shoulders. He heard Rukia's breathing become a little abnormal as the cold set in and, without hesitation or missing a beat, he undid the purple item of clothing, pulled it off of his body and draped it over Rukia's slender shoulders. She wanted to argue that she didn't need it and that he should keep it, but something deep down felt touched by the act so she instead blushed lightly and nuzzled into it, inhaling the musky scent left by the previous wearer. Ichigo noticed the blush and smiled, wrapping an arm protectively around her tiny frame to keep her warm. Both of them returned to the clinic smiling a smile that lasted until a boisterous Isshin practically kicked down the door and bellowed something about making him grandchildren before Ichigo planted his foot in the elder Kurosaki's face an hour or so later. Rukia sighed and smiled as the scene unfolded before her.

"Same old Ichigo," she mused, disregarding the acts as they walked home as a friendly gesture... Though with a hint of reluctance in doing so.

_**Next day, Urahara Shop**_

Maka lay still asleep in her makeshift bed beside Soul while he sat beside her like a dog protecting it's master. The Little Demon grinned inside the Black Room.

"Hey, Soul, do you believe in reincarnation?" he asked abruptly. Soul cocked his head inside the Black Room but stayed motionless in the unfamiliar shop.

"What?" he questioned slightly irritatedly due to the record in the background skipping constantly.

"Oh, you know, the theory that everything is reborn as something else after death."

"I know what it is. What I meant was what was the point of your question?"

"No real reason," the demon shrugged, smiling maliciously. "I just thought you seemed rather like a dog and his master with this Maka girl."

"Tch," Soul looked away from the demon, knowing he was right. "I don't know what you mean; it's not a place we're familiar with, so of course I'm going to be on edge and protect my Meister; I'm not a freakin' autonomous weapon."

"Is that so? I'm not sure I believe you."

"Pah, you're still jealous that she overpowered the black blood against Crona, aren't you?"

"Now that is most certainly not true, I relish the fact that your Meister is strong enough to do that..." Soul frowned a little at that as the demon grinned further. "It makes her that much more interesting to observe."

Soul snorted and turned to the door.

"Well, fun as it's been, I've got stuff to do," he said, walking through the door and letting it swing lazily closed behind him.

"You're always welcome back, Soul," the demon grinned, clicking it's stubby red fingers to a tune that varied from that of the record as the needle jumped this way and that every so often.

Soul opened his eyes in the shop as his Meister stretched and blinked awake. He smirked as her eyes fell on him after she had rubbed the sleep from her tired jade pools. She smiled sweetly.

"Good morning, Soul," she said, sitting upright in her crumpled clothing; they had brought no changes and she did not feel comfortable in such unfamiliar surroundings to sleep in her underwear, unlike her partner who had complained that it was 'too hot a climate' to stay in his regular clothes.

"Morning, Maka," Soul replied, flashing her a toothy smile. The door slid open and Kid walked in ahead of Liz and Patty, fiddling with his cuff as he did so with his eyes closed.

"You two are awake, I see," he said courteously, releasing the sleeve and looking at the pair. "Do you really think this will work? Soul Resonance needs the weapon and the wielder to synchronise their wavelengths; these people clearly do not use weapons that are able to do this."

"It's worth a shot, Kid, you know that," Maka replied, standing and stretching her arms over her head. "Besides, if they try and fail, they still have to uphold their end of the deal."

"I'm still not sure their methods will work for us, Maka," Soul grunted. "The way they summon their so-called 'hollow' abilities is by creating a mask from thin air; we don't know how to do that, nor do we need to in order to retain the Black Blood."

"We've got to at least try, Soul."

"And what if we can't control it?" Soul's gaze connected with Maka's. "Even if we can use the methods they teach us, there's no guarantee that we'll be safe using them; we might end up injuring ourselves."

Maka saw the look in her partner's bloody irises and knew that he meant that he did not want to do something that might cause her injury, just like when she told him to stop blocking Crona's attacks and he had instead taken a near-critical injury to the chest for her. She faltered a little, but she knew that using the methods they would learn could be beneficial, and stubbornly continued to believe the risk may be worthwhile.

"You don't have to worry, Soul," she replied, smiling. "We'll be fine."

A meek cough behind the group caught their attention.

"Excuse me," said the timid girl that stood in the doorway. "Mr Urahara and the others are waiting for you in front of the shop."

"Oh, right, thank you, miss..." Kid frowned a little. "Sorry, what is your name?"

"It's Ururu."

"Thank you, miss Ururu." Kid nodded. "We will be with them shortly."

The girl bowed and scampered off without a word. Liz looked at the door where she had once been and then back to the group.

"Strange girl, huh?" she said.

"Never mind that, we've got work to do, and the sooner we do this, the sooner we can kill that Kishin and get home." Kid led the group into the corridor towards the shop front.

"Ok, there's three of them that will be able to learn resonance," Maka voiced her thoughts as they walked. "Therefore we should find out who has what abilities and pair them with us according to similar abilities."

"That sounds cool," Soul replied, his hands in his pockets as they followed Kid. "It shouldn't be too hard for us to teach someone of similar abilities."

The group walked out into the sunlight and looked at the group gathered before them. There was the shop keeper in his green attire, the tall assistant and two kids, along with Ichigo, Rukia, Chad, Uryu and Orihime. Maka looked around and frowned.

"Where's the other one... Kai, wasn't it?" she asked.

"He just went to deal with any hollows in the area we're going to train in," Rukia explained. "Something about having to release his hollow side for a while."

"He _has_ to do that?" Kid questioned.

"It's how he developed his abilities," Ichigo replied. "Most of the time an inner hollow gets defeated and grants Vizard abilities, but his hollow decided to make a deal instead, which somehow gave him a less diluted hollowfiction form, hence the term Neo-Vizard."

"And you did the same?" Maka asked.

"After defeating him, yes."

"Alright, enough talking, we should get out of here and start this training," Rukia announced.

"Right," Ichigo pulled out a green capsule from his jeans pocket and swallowed it, while Rukia pulled out what looked like a sweet dispenser and squeezed the rabbit head on top, releasing a pill into her mouth. Both bodies were forced backward and left their soul forms in their Soul Reaper uniform in their place. "Kon, stay out of trouble, and make sure that you go to Karin's soccer match at one!"

"What? You can't boss me around!" the boy's body roared.

"Just do what I say, dammit, or I'm pulling your limbs off when we get back!"

"You wouldn't dare, you couldn't do anything without me!"

"Try me..."

Kon clamped his claw shut to avoid another outburst that could result in Ichigo's threat becoming worse.

"Chappy, look after Kon and my body," Rukia ordered the gikongan.

"Aye aye!" Chappy saluted.

"If everyone's ready, let's go," Kid said, before following Ichigo and Rukia towards the park, the other Shibusen students following close behind.

_**Karakura Park**_

Kai grinned under his half-formed mask as he darted through the trees, pursuing the bat-like hollow swiftly with his own hollow-like wings, Supernova glowing a slight red in the hollowfied right arm. He released a yell as the dark blade swung and hacked through the hollow's wing and flip-kicked it to the ground, shattering it's beaked mask.

"_Too easy,_" he growled, leaping into the air again to find another target. "_There must be another one around here somewhere!_"

Maka stared at the boy with her mouth agape as he flung the blade at another creature and pierced it's chest before swinging it in a arc upwards with the chain.

"What on earth has he done to himself?" she asked Ichigo as he watched the acts.

"Who, Rertyan?" he asked. Maka cocked her head.

"Who or what is Rertyan? I thought you said that was Kai."

"Technically, it is. Rertyan is Kai's hollow side, hell of a fighting partner whether it's an ally on the battlefield or an enemy in the training grounds. By the looks of it, he's only partially hollowfied." He cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted upwards. "Hey! Rertyan! Get you ass down here!"

The hollow heard the call, grabbed the zanpakuto as the grip came towards his clawed hand, and swooped downward, landing before them and grinning to Ichigo.

"_Certainly took your time, Ichigo,_" he said in a relatively friendly tone. Maka stared at the hollowfied arm and the pair of wings that were folded behind him, causing Rertyan to frown and shift uncomfortably. He nodded to the girl, asking, "_Who's this?_"

"This is Maka Albarn," Ichigo replied as the girl went behind Rertyan to look at his back where the wings protruded his black robes, the masked face following her as she did so but his body remained as it was. "She's going to be teaching us about something called Soul Resonance."

"_Oh, so this is the one Kai was talkin' about,_" Rertyan turned to face Ichigo again, his face's right side bearing a look of anxiety. "_Why the hell is she staring at me?_"

Maka took note of the uneased tone and came back to Ichigo's side.

"Sorry, I've never seen anything quite like this," she apologised, embarrassed. "How do you do that?"

"_What, part hollowfy? The arm wasn't my fault, that always happens when I'm released 'cause the zanpakuto shifts to mineand needs a link for the power transfer, but the wing-rig was just so I could catch some of the flying hollows._" As if to prove a point, Rertyan flexed his wings and stabbed the zanpakuto into the ground so that the eyes were facing Maka. "_Watch what happens when I let Kai take control. Be seeing you, Maka._"

He reached up and crushed the part of the mask over his left eye and the hollowfied parts began to dissolve away, his eyes changing from black and red to white and brown. The dragon's head lightened in tone to a light grey, the horns turned yellow from their original dark blue-grey and the eyes and ember in the pendant stopped glowing purple-blue and eased into a fiery orange hue. Kai blinked a few times and then brushed the stray fragments of mask from his pitch black locks and shook his head.

"Jeez, he really does like to push my body to breaking point," he muttered, wrenching his sword from the ground and placing it behind him, the chain forming a sheath with a length of it going from his right shoulder to above his left hip. Maka looked bewildered at him.

"That was your hollow?" she questioned. Kai frowned.

"Huh?" he asked. "What do you mean; you talked to him?"

"Yeah, he introduced himself to Maka," Ichigo confirmed, before turning to the girl in question. "Rertyan's one of the more mild-mannered hollows around, so be careful if you see one like him." Maka nodded and Kai smirked.

"I'll show you his full form later if you want; might help with your training," Kai winked. "Now then, let's get this over with."

The three rejoined the group, which had Orihime, Uryu and Chad, who were on standby to help if needs be, stood a short way off from the others and Rukia, Kid, Patty, Liz and Soul ahead of them. Maka rejoined her partner and spoke to the other Meister and weapons.

"We've deduced how to divide this group up for training," Kid said. "This Ichigo guy had a weapon much like your scythe form, so I suspect he would benefit most from your teaching. Also, Kai's use of twin pistols makes him the best one for me to teach."

"What about Rukia?" Liz asked. "She's also in possession of a weapon that could resonate, right?"

"She's right, Kid," Soul said. "I'd say that having Rukia train with us too would be best; her abilities are like Ichigo's, plus," Soul smirked, before adding teasingly, "She's as flat as you are, Maka."

Maka's eyes narrowed to a glare as she spotted the large hardback in Uryu's hand as he read from it. She swiftly walked over to the bespectacled male and smiled sweetly at him.

"Excuse me," she asked politely, hiding her murderous intention from her eyes. "Could I borrow that book for a moment?"

Uryu blinked, but marked his page and nodded, handing it to her. She thanked him and slunk off behind Soul, speaking in his earjust one elongated word;

"Maka..." Maka brought the book upward over his head and the albino braced for the suspected next move. "CHOP!"

The book's spine slammed into Soul's head and he fell forward, lying face down while clutching his wounded head. Satisfied, by the damage caused, Maka handed the book back to Uryu, who was now sheet white and believed that she was some kind of psychopath, and squatted beside Soul.

"Now, what was that last bit?" she asked coyly.

"N-nothing..." Soul mumbled into the ground. He refused to apologise, believing they were even, but his Meister instead scowled and sat on his back.

"I'm still waiting for an apology," she said stubbornly, folding her arms over her chest in a defiant display of dominance. Soul shook the stars from his vision and looked up at her.

"Alright, I'm sorry for calling both of you flat."

"Good."

With the argument done, the group split up as originally planned, with Kid, Liz, Patty and Kai heading to a clearing to the south and Maka, Soul, Rukia and Ichigo heading to the one north of the trees. Maka started the lesson.

"Alright, Soul Resonance," she started. "Is the synchronisation of the weapon and it's wielder, whereby each one changes their Soul Wavelength to match the other's. This changes the way the wielder fights by making them more alert and also boosts the power of the weapon exponentially. Question?"

"Just one," Ichigo replied. "How are we supposed to alter our zanpakuto's soul if we can barely do that with our own ones?"

"I'll admit, it's difficult, but there is a link between you and your weapons, which means that it is possible to do. Now, watch Soul and I perform Soul Resonance." She turned to her weapon and nodded to him, extending her right hand to Soul.

The boy grinned and took her delicate appendage in his left hand while his right arm turned blue, glowing and changing into a black and red scythe blade which had a jagged division of colours. With this done, his whole body began to glow and shifted into a metal staff with a wider section at one end attached to the blade. A single red iris gazed out of each side of the wider section as a ghostly image of Soul glinted in the blade, the now topless male grinning and baring his shark-like teeth.

"Watch carefully," came a metallic version of Soul's voice.

"Let's go!" both Soul and Maka yelled. "Soul Resonance!"

The air crackled with energy as the wavelengths matched and pulsed as one, creating a blue glow around the pair, focussed around the scythe blade, which produced a flick to the opposite end of the head to the curved blade as it illuminated brightly.

"Witch Hunter!" Maka abruptly shouted, though still focussing hard.

The scythe reacted by enlarging the blade, which was consumed in the bright blue energy by now. Maka swung the weapon and showed how much stronger the scythe now was while in this state. After a few minutes of showing off, Maka lost her focus and the scythe returned to normal before resuming it's human state.

"Ok, now you two try," Maka said, watching them carefully as Ichigo drew Zangetsu and closed his eyes, focussing in on the inner soul of his zanpakuto, while Rukia released her own weapon and took up a meditative position with the blade over her lap.

A pulse of energy eventually spiked up from Ichigo as he gripped Zangetsu's cloth hilt, the air becoming more and more tense by the second. Finally, the cleaver began to faintly glow, as did Ichigo's body. He opened his eyes and growled as he focussed his power and Zangetsu's power together. The blue energy began to creep over the blade and super-charged it in effect as it seeped over the edges and stretched the blade into a new form.

A loud explosion abruptly broke his concentration as a pillar of smoke billowed from the treeline to the south. Ichigo's eyes snapped to Kid who emerged from the trees with two pistols in his hands.

"Kid, what the hell's going on?" Soul barked.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stop it," he replied through gritted teeth. Orihime, Chad and Uryu came running over. "He's lost control."

"What?" Ichigo asked as a new figure appeared from the smoke, eyes glinting red through the haze as the male emerged. "What did he do to himself?"

* * *

_Apologies for the lateness of this, but I wanted to check it a few more time than usual and..._

_Ok, I'll be honest, it's down to there being a number of exams and mocks I've had to contend with recently._

_Anyway, this is where I'm calling it quits for this chapter._

_Interested in Ichigo, Rukia or Kai's Resonances? Add this to your story alert and be notified when it comes out next._

_For now, I'm off as it's getting on now and my brain is fried after trying to correct a circuit that refuses to work as I want it to because it's a git and I'm breadboarding it tomorrow._

_Thankfully, it's half term after that, so I'll post again sometime next week hopefully._

_Read and review please!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

_**Additional: **The wedding that has cropped up will come soon, I promise, but it will also bring a sting in it's tail as an uninvited guest meets with both the newly-weds and a certain Captain-Lieutenant combo with a strange gift and a summoning. All next chapter!_

_Also, I'm wanting to continue my other Bleach fanfic (Language of the Heart) which has been on hiatus for a while now. Tell me what you think and please give me ideas for it! Thanks in advance!_

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 5: The Power of Madness**

_**Earlier, Southern Area**_

"Alright, let's try this again," Kai grunted, channelling his energy into the chained sword.

The air crackled as red reiatsu charged around the Neo-Vizard, building into a haze around the weapon and it's wielder, but then the dragon's eyes lit up red and a pulse shocked through Kai, breaking his focus and causing the reiatsu to dissipate. Kai growled.

"Dammit!" he yelled, slicing through a nearby tree in his anger. "Why won't this work?"

Kid was puzzled to, when Liz suddenly spoke up from her weapon form.

"Hey, what happened to your pistols?" she asked. Kai cocked his head but Kid looked up frowned.

"Actually, where are those pistols you had when we first met?" he asked. "Is it your zanpakuto's first release or something?" Kai snorted.

"Hell no," he replied. "This is the sealed and Shikai state, the pistols are a sub-variant of my power which is fused into this version of Supernova Dragon."

"Ah..."

"What?"

"Well, that's your problem," Kid explained. "Soul Resonance is pretty damned hard on it's own, but you're trying it when your power is in an amalgamated state such as this, which leaves it unfocussed and unable to match wavelengths with you... Try using just the pistols first, it should be easy after that."

"Well, alright, if you think so..." Kai swung his weapon to his right, parallel to the ground. "Reveal your true power, Supernova Dragon." The chain disconnected and wound around Kai's waist to form a gunslinger belt with two holstered pistols, which he drew after throwing the fiery sword into the air. "Buster Mode, activate!"

Kai assumed his position again with the armour and pistols primed. He closed his eyes and focussed, his reiatsu pouring into a haze as before but with a heightened stability and consistency about it. The haze brightened and the roar of the energy building echoed over the surrounding area, sounding like a dragon growling overhead. Kai's eyes opened as red strands of reiatsu tore at the ground and swatted at the air as if infuriated by both for being in it's presence. His armour by now had begun to ripple in their red haze, a deep red rippling energy creating lighter patches over the Vizard's arms.

"Soul Resonance!" he yelled.

The energy displaced created a tornado around Kai, obscuring the sight of him as his pistols vanished. The dragon heads on his forearms lurched forwards to cover his hands and wrists, pulling the plating over his upper arms over the exposed forearms before they sized up and covered them fully along with his elbows. The shoulder panels bulked out to provide higher durability and the symbol turned red, but the chains disappeared as a set of vicious spikes, as black as night, bloomed from Kai's upper arms. The swell of power subsided and Kid gazed at him.

"Perfectly symmetrical, just as I expected!" he beamed.

"WHAT?" Liz yelled. "You made him resonate with his pistols so that he would have symmetry? You are such a weirdo, Kid!"

"There's no need to get snippy, you know I can't help it," he reasoned, not noticing Kai's look of mild pain as though he had a headache.

"You're obsessed! This isn't a healthy compulsion, Kid! Deal with it!"

"You're one to talk, Liz. You're just as obsessed with make-up and keeping up your appearance as I am with symmetry."

"Uh, Kid?" Kai called, aware of a pressure in his head as if something were forcing against his skull and his brain.

"Don't put me on par with you!" Liz roared defensively. "And I am _not_ obsessed with my personal upkeep!"

"Kid?"

"Yes, you are!" Kid shook the pistol. "How can you even say that when-"

"KID!" The Meister looked over finally. "I don't feel so great, is that normal?"

"Huh? Not feeling so great?" Kid repeated. "I've never had that problem... Try firing a few shots, maybe it's a backlog of power."

"Ok, if you're sure..." Kai aimed his hands at a tree to his left, a good few hundred metres away, and concentrated his reiatsu into both heads, creating two balls of charging energy while the spikes pulsed with electric-like strands of reiatsu and the vents atop his shoulders produced a jet of flame behind him. "Howling Dragon Cannon!"

The blasts fired separately, right first then left, and spiralled with great velocity and accuracy towards their target, destroying it as though it were a shard of ice in the sun, vaporising it in a large explosion which decimated the surrounding area. Kid cheered.

"That's amazing!" he cried as Kai's arms fell to his sides and a grin started to spread over his face, his shoulders heaving as he panted. "Such a beautiful display of symmetrical resonance... I'll treasure this memory forever!"

"Oh brother, here he goes again," Liz grumbled.

"Tell me, Kai," Kid went on, ignoring Liz's remarks. "How does it feel to use that power with that symmetry?"

Kai's shoulders shuddered sporadically and a light laugh came from him as he turned to Kid, his eyes burning red.

"You have no idea," he replied, taking aim at Kid with his left hand. "How it feels to possess this power..." The weapon charged.

"Kid, look out!" Liz yelled, but Kid was already moving towards the northern area, trees exploding into flames behind him.

_**Present, Northern Area**_

Kai stepped forwards, his eyes narrowed. The laughter had stopped but a stream of black and red fire surrounded his shoulders and curled behind him like a cloak, creating a less twisted but more malevolent or malicious look about him.

"What the hell did he do to himself?" Ichigo asked Maka, who stared with wide eyes.

"This wavelength..." she murmured.

"Maka," Soul interjected. "Is that the Madness Wavelength, or is it my imagination?"

"I wish I could say it wasn't, but it is," she replied, tightening her fist around the air. "He's fallen into the madness."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Ichigo yelled. "You never said anything about this before!"

"I didn't sense any trace of madness before now, idiot!" Maka snapped. "I wouldn't have let him resonate if I had, dammit!"

"Soul, Maka," Kid yelled, resonating already. "Enough arguing, let's just subdue him and break his concentration, then he should return to normal."

"Kid's right," Soul said, taking up his weapon form in mid-leap to allow Maka to grab his metal handle as he came down. "Let's do this!"

Both Meisters pelted forwards, pistols firing and scythe swinging as they came at the insane Neo-Vizard, leaving Ichigo and Rukia in their wake with Orihime, Chad and Uryu running over.

"What the hell happened to him?" Uryu yelled as they neared.

"Something they called 'Madness'," Rukia replied. "He's lost control over his resonating state."

"Screw this, we've got to help them with this," Ichigo growled, gripping Zangetsu tightly. "They don't know what could happen if he fully releases in such an unstable condition." Rukia nodded.

"You're right about that, Ichigo," she said, releasing Sode no Shirayuki as she drew the white blade. "Besides, if we work together, we'll subdue him faster."

"He's not going to..." Orihime's eyes teared-up as she imagined Kai being killed so soon before their wedding. Rukia rested a hand on the taller girl's shoulder.

"No, he's not, Orihime," she replied softly.

"We've just got to beat some sense into him," Ichigo finished. "He'll be good as new for tomorrow; you have my word as Squad 5 Captain."

And with that, both the Captain and his Lieutenant pounded forward to the battle as another blast of energy narrowly missed Kid, who dived aside just in time.

"Damn," he cursed. "He's generating so much noise with each shot that it's getting hard to maintain Soul Resonance for more than a few moments!"

"That may be the problem for you, Kid!" Maka shouted as the glowing scythe skimmed off of the armour as Kai swatted at the swing. "But we can't even pierce his armour!"

"The hell is this guy?" Soul questioned. "We've gone into the Madness before, but it's never been this vicious!"

Kid fired a few more bursts from the Thompsons, but it did nothing to damage the crazed male.

"It's no good," he mused. "Without resonating, my blasts can't scratch him..."

"I know what you guys need!" Ichigo yelled as he leapt through the air. "Getsuga Tenshou!" The weak swing generated a minuscule blast of blue compared to what the orange-haired male could produce, and was easily cancelled by a single blast of red, but the smokescreen bought them some time. "Rukia and I are going to use this Soul Resonance thing, see if a similar type of Resonance can break his concentration."

"That's insane!" Kid barked. "You haven't used Soul Resonance before, what makes you think you can do it?"

"Kid, this might actually work," Liz said calmly. "This guy's Resonance is like his form from yesterday, and Ichigo could stop him."

"Yeah, but he wasn't completely insane, sis," Patty pointed out. "Besides, they looked like they had been practising that for a long time."

"Girls, please, this is bad enough without you making it seem like a good idea!" Kid pleaded.

"Alright," Maka said finally. "Give it one shot."

"Maka! What the hell?" Kid yelled.

"It can't hurt for them to try this, Kid," Soul reasoned, understanding his Meister. "Besides, their zanpakuto may possess similar strength to Kai."

Before Kid could argue, Ichigo and Rukia were focussing their energies into their zanpakuto and let it flow back through them as a blast of red into the sky dispelled the dust from the insane male. Ichigo opened his eyes, irises glowing blue with resolve as Zangetsu seemed to cry out to the Soul Reaper.

"Soul Resonance!" he yelled, swinging the cleaver in an arc for good measure.

The blade turned a pulsating blue, just like the Witch Hunter attack, and emitted a pulse which made a deep blue outline from the point of the blade. As it solidified, the blade became much larger and lost the white ribbon on the hilt for a curved blade which linked to the other to make a form of Zangetsu as though a Getsuga Tenshou had sprouted from it and curled at each end. A single yellow eye and a set sharp teeth reminiscent of Ichigo's hollow mask finished the resonance as it opened it's mouth and roared. Ichigo ran at Kai, swinging his arm over his left shoulder as he came and releasing the swing with a growl. The glowing blade sailed through the air towards Kai's right arm, the stronger of the two.

The blade came to a halt with a clang as metal collided with metal, causing Ichigo to gape at the sight before him.

Kai's Buster mode had transformed in mid-resonance and his Frenzy mode now blocked the path of Zangetsu. The sword looked like it's Shikai but had a pair of short wings sticking out of the dragon head, the blade wreathed in the dark fire from before, red electricity pulsing over it in venomous reminiscence of the black-bladed Extreme Release when he had gone berserk, and the chain now ended attached to a bracelet-like item. This item was part of an armour which covered all of the male's arm and shoulder; the upper arm bore a wing-like attachment which unfurled to a forty five degree angle from the armour, the forearm held three dark spikes and the hand-piece, which did not cover the fingers but everywhere else, had the talisman from the chain on the back. This armour had appeared on both arms. Kai smirked with insane eyes.

"I'm no fool," he chided, swinging the sword. "Madness Wave!"

Swinging again, the zanpakuto produced a Chaos Wave, but this one was different to usual; it was a pulsating red and black for one, but it also appeared to have Kai's mask imprinted onto it, the sharp teeth bared as if it were roaring at Ichigo. Without hesitation, he swung the blue zanpakuto in his grip, loosing a battle cry as he made a Getsuga Tenshou of shimmering blue laced with his own hollow mask's aspects. The attacks cancelled one another out, but another Madness Wave tore through the dust storm and towards an unprepared Ichigo.

"Hakuren!" Rukia cried out, the arc of energy freezing in the blink of an eye and shattering into a red snow-like dust. Ichigo looked over and gaped again.

Rukia's robes had become sleeveless and white in colour, matching her porcelain complexion and the glowing masses behind her, taking the shape of bright white angel-like wings made of her reiatsu. Sode no Shirayuki's ribbon had shortened by a significant amount, but these seemed to have taken homage on her bare arms, a pair of winding white silk ribbons spiralled from the shoulder of her robes to her wrists where they formed a pair of bracelets. In her right hand was the sword itself, a pair of feathered wings on opposing sides of the guard. The blade seemed a touch longer than usual and almost crystalline in terms of both colour and structure, though the hilt seemed otherwise unchanged. The ground around her had frozen solid as if her Tsukishiro had been performed on that spot. The petite Soul Reaper, as if to show her power, swung her katana toward the ground, freezing the ground within a three metre radius and also catching the trees behind her.

"R-Rukia..." Ichigo said astounded. She looked beautiful to the orange-haired male, though he could not bring himself to tell her that. Kai roared animalistically, catching their attention. "Rukia, I'll draw his attention, you stop him!"

"Right!" she replied, focussing her energy and making her blade glow a fluctuating ice-blue.

Ichigo ran forwards, releasing a pair of Getsugas to Kai's right and using his higher speed to shunpo to his left, knowing he would never block all three. To his dismay, both of the first two were shattered with ease, then the third in an instinctual action. Kai threw his blade at the Squad 5 Captain, but the male missed and left himself exposed. Ichigo drew nearer, but was stunned to find Kai had pulled the sword backwards and switched it's position to his left hand. Ichigo deflected the resulting counter-attack and leapt backwards, watching Kai throw the blade into the air and switch which arm the weapon was tethered to in an instant.

"You can't stop me..." he said eerily, readying another Madness Wave, but his eyes widened as he gasped.

Rukia had made her move, shooting off a Hakuren in the disarray which caught Kai unawares. His legs as well as anything in an arc from his left hip to right collarbone were frozen solid, rendering him unable to fight back. As he tried to free himself, Ichigo released a Getsuga Tenshou to his left, startling him into losing his resonance with Supernova, the form breaking down to just Kai with his Shikai in hand. He looked around, disorientated, then gripped the ice that still held him firmly in it's frosty grip.

"Uh, guys," he said, giving in. "Why the hell did you freeze me?" Rukia sighed and swung her resonating blade, relinquishing the icy grasp on Kai's body.

"You went out of control when you resonated," she explained. "We had to suppress your body in order to bring you back. No hard feelings?"

Kai smirked and twisted his right arm, easing the tension in it.

"Yeah, no biggie," he shrugged, sheathing his weapon.

Maka stared as Soul changed back to his human form.

"So much power..." she mused. "That was no ordinary Madness, it was too controlled, yet all three of them have so much power when resonating with their zanpakuto... it's kind of scary."

Soul gazed lazily at his Meister and nodded.

"When we've gone into the Madness, we've never had any conscious control," he agreed. "Anything we did was out of instinct and not our intentions. This guy had the Madness, that's for sure, but it was on a different level to ours, both in terms of control and power."

"Soul, Maka!" Kai yelled and gestured for them to come over while Kid, Liz and Patty spoke to Orihime. Intrigued, the pair came over and joined Kai. "I wanted to thank you for your help with containing me earlier."

"No problem," Maka smiled.

"Well, it wasn't, but it could have been. Anyway, Orihime and I have been talking some things over, and we'd really like it if you guys could come to our wedding tomorrow."

"Huh?" Soul cocked his head. "Why'd you want us there?"

"Well, you've helped us quite a bit already. Besides, didn't you want to know about inner hollows?" Maka nodded for her weapon and herself. "Well, you can meet the Vizards and talk with them about it."

"The Vizards?" Maka questioned.

"They're my squad, they all have inner hollows and conquered them, so now they can use their powers by the use of a mask, just like Ichigo and I."

Maka smiled.

"Sure, we'd love to." she replied.

"Great," Kai grinned looking over to see a concerned Orihime. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to reassure my future wife that I am, in fact, alive and ok."

He slipped off as Kid, Liz and Patty came over.

"What do you think, Maka?" Kid asked. "You think they've got the hang of resonance?"

"I'm not quite sure," the pig-tailed girl replied. "I'm sure they can use them in battle conditions without trouble, but I'm not quite sure about Kai... He doesn't seem fully able to control it."

"Were we watching the same fight?" Soul asked. "He could use resonance stably and also could use energy-based attacks like a Witch Hunter. When we were under, we couldn't even resonate; he's got it pretty much, Maka."

"In any case," Kid offered. "We can find out about our orders tomorrow; we should be able to contact father then."

"Alright," Maka nodded. "We're going to speak with a group Kai called the Vizards." Kid's eyes widened.

"The Masked Army?" he gasped.

"You've heard of them?" Liz asked.

"In one of the ancient scriptures in the library back at Shibusen. They're impossibly powerful and fearsome, each bearing a white mask unique to the wearer. If you're speaking to them, then he's serious about telling you about these 'inner hollow' things."

"Hey, you five!" Ichigo yelled over to them. "We're heading back to Urahara's before Kai and Orihime enjoy their last night of freedom each!"

Getting the message, they ran over and the large group walked back to the Urahara Shoten, blissfully unaware of the disturbances occurring in the abject wasteland of Hueco Mundo.

_**Hueco Mundo**_

A large hollow stomped through the tattered ruins of Los Noches and towards the battered marble throne before him, on which sat a human-sized Arrancar in torn white garb with a skull-like mask topped with a crown of dull metal and bones, a blue-hilted sword sheathed at his side. The hollow bowed low to the floor in the presence of the Arrancar, whether as a sign of respect or due to the massive spiritual pressure he possessed weighing the unfortunate soul down is anyone's guess.

"My lord," the hollow growled, awaiting acknowledgement.

"What is it?" the Arrancar barked, leaning his head against his fist, elbow on the arm of the throne. "More pitiful hollow thinking Aizen should still be in charge?"

"No, my lord, but this is a more pressing matter. It would appear that Espada 3 and 4 are missing along with Privarone Espada 172. They were guarding the Ashes, the Horn and the Eye, all of which were also taken."

The Arrancar looked up, interested.

"Are you saying they have abandoned and stolen from the Kind of Hueco Mundo?" he asked with doubt in his voice. "Don't forget what the punishment is for such charges if false."

"Sire, I made no such allegation." The hollow breathed then continued. "There were signs of a struggle and drag marks in the sand, but the trail was destroyed in a sandstorm. What are your orders? Shall I deal with the matter?"

"No, Captain, that won't be necessary," The King stood and waved his hand to the doorway. "You may leave." With the hollow gone, the King snapped his fingers. "Celest," he called to his favoured messenger, who obediently appeared before her master. "I want you to make a special run to the World of the Living. Find a man under the name 'Ichigo Kurosaki', tell him to assemble a team of ten and order them to come to Los Noches under my authority. I wish to sort this matter out quickly, and he is the person to do it. Don't let me down."

"I won't, sire," Celest replied before disappearing; her Sonido was amongst the fastest of the Arrancar around, making her an excellent messenger. The King grinned under his mask.

"Soon we'll meet again, Kurosaki," he purred. "I think we still have a score to settle."

* * *

_Oh yes, it's all kicking off again._

_Gomenosai if this took longer than hoped, art prep is a bitch._

_Anyway, hope you've enjoyed so far, I'll e back when I can and post when ready._

_For now though, I'm going to bed, it's exam time when I get back to school... unfortunately._

_Who else is anxiously awaiting Hell Chapter? I've been watching trailer after trailer for who knows how long now and I'm getting impatient!_

_Anyways, leave me a review on how I can improve, favourite, add to alerts, I don't care too much really, but I would appreciate the feedback._

_Also, remember what I said about Language of the Heart and get back to me on that!_

_Arogato and Sayonara!_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 6: The Dark Wedding Gift**

Kai groaned as he felt the light sting his fragile eyes, peeling them open with difficulty. His head ached as he thought what had happened, before remembering his decision to fight Renji with a pair of baseball bats as if they were katana, ending with him triumphantly parading around the red-heads fallen form before taking a strike to the head himself; and the fact that he had thrown his own bat into the air to fight the pineapple with his fists, only for it to nail him again on the way down probably did not help. He rubbed the tender part of his head in the memory of the incident, looking down.

_Kami,_ he thought. _I am such an idiot._

Ichigo stirred and sat up beside him, looking dazed.

"Are we still in Urahara's?" he questioned. Kai brushed some of the dust from his shirt and nodded.

"Yep, must've passed out down here," he muttered. "Who's idea was it to have a drinking contest in _Sake Ryu _with a dozen bottles of the stuff?"

"That'd be Renji." Ichigo stifled a yawn. "What time is it?"

"From my watch, half eight..." Kai's eyes widened. "Shit! The wedding's at eleven!"

"Crap, you're right. And the guests are going to be arriving about ten!"

Kai was already on his feet and scrabbling up one of the pillars of rock to get a better view. He spotted the exit a fair way away from where the two Captains stood, but he could not find a trace of Renji.

"Where the fuck is that stupid pineapple-haired bastard?" Kai growled, clearly in no mood to be playing hide and seek with a hungover Lieutenant-rank Soul Reaper. "If we're late 'cause of him, I'll..."

"Hey, relax!" Ichigo called to him. "You go get ready, I'll find that dumbass for you!"

"Thanks, mate. Whatever you do, don't be late!"

And with that, he was off, leaving Ichigo to search for Renji, who had in fact fallen into a pit about a hundred metres away with the remnants of two broken sake bottles lying in his wake.

_**Urahara Shoten Spare Rooms**_

Soul fixed his tie for a third time since putting it on. He, Kid, Maka, Liz and Patty had all gone out the day before with one of the groups, girls or boys, to get outfits more suitable for such an occasion as a wedding. Soul had managed to find a fairly cheap rental suit like the one he wore to formal gatherings at Shibusen, whereas Kis opted for a black suit with three white stripes across the chest with breaks around the buttons and the back, giving it a symmetrical look. The latter chuckled a little, his amber irises falling on the annoyed look on his albino companion's face.

"Here," he offered, fixing the awkward black tie. "There, perfectly symmetrical."

"Thanks, Kid," Soul flashed the young reaper a shark-toothed grin. Kid smiled politely before his eyes hardened.

"So Maka's still going to see the Vizards later?" Soul nodded.

"Yeah, she really wants to know how they can control something like they do," the weapon explained with a sigh, hands in his trouser pockets. "And what happened yesterday just made her want to know more, I guess."

"I'll admit, using the Madness as you two do is a useful tool in combat," Kid noted. "But is this really a good idea? The Vizards are some of the strongest fighters on their own; in a mass group they must be near undefeatable. Doesn't that worry you?"

Soul looked away, a slight glint of unease in his crimson irises.

"Of course it does," he finally answered. "It scares the living hell out of me that she wants to become so strong; after all, isn't that how Asura became what he is?"

"Soul, Asura devoured his own weapon out of fear of being outdone by him; Maka's not that weak-willed. You should know that."

"I know that, Kid; I know that Maka would never try to do something so reckless as to put herself in harms way..." Soul paused, a dark look grazing his features. "But... I still worry about her intentions... The day I got that scar on my chest, she said she would get stronger for me, so that I would never have to put myself in such a position for her sake again... Don't get me wrong, I don't mind that, but..."

"You're worried that when she finds out how to control the Madness like Kai did," Kid analysed. "She'll lose control and get hurt in the process. I can see it in your face, you really don't want her to do something that might put her in harms way just to get stronger."

"Of course I do," Soul murmured, his voice a little weak compared to how it usually was. "I'm scared I'm going to lose her, Kid." The reaper blinked. "I know it sounds selfish, but I couldn't bear to see her leave my side like that. I don't care about becoming a Deathscythe if that's the cost; hell, I don't want to be one if it means that I have to get another wielder. I just... I just want Maka."

Kid sympathised with the scythe.

"You love her, don't you?" he said. "All those things you said are too deep to be between friends. Let me guess: when she leaves your side, you feel as though someone just made you go twelve rounds against Black Star in a bare-knuckle fight; she's all you can think about whether she's there or not; and whenever you see her, you feel as if your heart has leapt into your throat, right?" Soul blinked, amazed.

"How did you know?" he asked softly. Kid scoffed.

"It's completely obvious, Soul," he replied. "Hell, Liz and Patty have been betting against Black Star when you're going to tell her how you feel!" Soul looked away again.

"I can't tell her;" he muttered. "I could damage our friendship..." He looked Kid in the eye with sorrowful orbs. "I would rather she never knew than possibly destroy the best friendship I've had."

Just then, Kai burst in.

"Sorry to barge in," the older male panted, his suit half-prepared and one shoe on his left foot. "But have either of you seen my right shoe?"

Kid looked away, trying to suppress an OCD outburst while Soul pointed to the next room, where said shoe had flown through the closed window and struck him in the head. With Kai gone, Soul hazarded a smirk.

"Let's go get the girls," he said, leading the his symmetry-obsessed friend towards Orihime's house.

_**Orihime's House**_

Rukia carefully did Orihime's long hair up in a loose bun, the flower clips still at her fringe but accompanied by a dainty white lotus flower. The busty girl was a bundle of nerves, fussing over how she looked and worrying that she did not look good enough. Rukia could not help but giggle a little at the auburn-haired girl's worries.

"Orihime, calm down, you look fine," she said softly, smiling. "Look at yourself in the mirror."

The Shun Shun Rikka wielder nodded and stood to look at herself in the full-length mirror. She was stunned by what she saw; her hair was well kept and looked immaculate, just as she knew it would, but her kimino, a delicate pink garment with intricate patterns of plants growing with blooming flowers dotted all around and a pair of humming birds at the centre, their beaks crossed in a loving embrace. She stifled a cry of joy, her hands blocking her mouth in awe at how she looked. Rukia appeared in the reflection, smiling.

"Is that really me?" she asked the Soul Reaper softly.

"Yes, it certainly is," Rukia replied, pausing for an envious sigh. "You have no idea how lucky you are, Orihime."

"Huh?" Orihime gave Rukia one of her notorious blank looks.

"You're marrying the man you love," the petite girl explained. "That's very lucky; not everyone finds that in a person... And he is a good man, I know you know that." Orihime nodded, but frowned a little.

"Rukia, what's brought this on?" she questioned. Rukia bit her lip then shook her head.

"Don't worry," she said. "Today's about you and Kai, not me."

"It's about Ichigo, isn't it?"

"How-" Orihime smiled coyly.

"I have eyes, Rukia. I can see you like him a lot. What's wrong?"

"It's just..." The Kuchiki girl paused, looking away. "I don't understand him sometimes. The other night we were walking home and he..." A blush tinged Rukia's delicate porcelain cheeks. "He gave me his jacket to wear home and wrapped his arm around me." Orihime let out an 'aw'. "I felt... touched by that action, and kind of like I was meant to be there by his side, but then..." Rukia's light smile which had developed over this tale fell. "Then he acted as though it was nothing. He's been giving me mixed signals for as long as I can remember, ever since he came to Soul Society just to rescue me, and it's just getting so... tedious to work out what his actions really mean. I just don't know what to do about it, I guess."

Orihime smiled and hugged Rukia.

"Oh, Rukia!" she cooed. "I know Ichigo and I know he's a bit hard to understand at times, but he probably doesn't know how to express how he feel either! You just have to stick at it and get him to tell you he loves you, because I know he does."

Rukia smiled weakly up to her soon-to-be-married friend.

"Thanks, Orihime," she replied, hugging her back. A knock caught their attention. "I'll get it, go finish your make-up, Orihime."

The black haired girl opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief, although it was somewhat disappointed at the same time.

"Ah, Kid, Soul, it's only you," she smiled, letting them in. "Sorry, I thought that would be Ichigo."

"Sorry, but it's not," Soul replied, hands in his pockets. "Last I hear, he was trying to find one of his friends... What was his name?"

"Renji," Kid replied for Soul, who nodded. Rukia blinked, then scowled.

"That idiot's missing?" she questioned furiously. "Doesn't he know that Nii-sama is going to be arriving soon? Baka!"

"Huh? What's your brother got to do with this Renji guy?" Soul raised an eyebrow.

"Nii-sama is his Captain and he expects Renji to be ready when he arrives." She looked over her shoulder to a screen door and smiled. "Speaking of ready, I see your friends are finished getting dressed."

Both of the young males turned to their female counter-parts, both staring in stunned silence.

The elder Thompson sister stood there in a white dress which reached down to her mid-shin and was cut low around the neck to show off a silver chain of a necklace with a pair of crossed pistols dangling from it. Along each sleeve was a trio of gold buttons and on the chest a faint skull like the mask Lord Death wears was emblazoned in red stitch. Patty had gone for something much less fancy in the form of a bright yellow, plain dress which ended around her knees, though her short sleeves revealed a pair of giraffe bracelets symmetrically placed on her wrists. Needless to say, Kid was happy to see his weapons had chosen such symmetrical attire for the occasion, and he thought both looked beautiful in their own way.

But Soul's jaw-dropped gaze fell upon his own Meister, who had a shy smile gracing her features. Her usual trench coat and skirt had been traded for a long red dress which reached down towards her ankles, a black bow tied in the middle of her chest to hold the ribbon which twisted around her back and slender midsection. The sleeveless number had been accompanied by a pair of black fingerless gloves which extended up her arms to around her elbows in a netting-like material. What caught Soul's attention most, though, was her face; her hair, usually held in her trademark pigtails, now flowed down her back, cascading like a golden waterfall to compensate for the missing area of coverage behind her. Her jade eyes gleamed like a pair of emerald encrusted moons against the pale complexion and golden cascade which made the background. Though she wore little to no make-up what so ever, as per usual, not a blemish or battle scar showed through on her faint canvas that was her face, though the tell-tale rosy hue to her cheeks told Soul he had stared to long, but he couldn't help it.

"Wow," he finally said, breaking the silence. Maka blushed a little deeper but her smile grew.

"Hey, Soul," she said softly, walking to him timidly. "You look... cool."

Though it would have sounded unflattering to anyone else, Maka knew Soul and his hang up on coolness, so knew this would be the equivalent of likening him to Leonardo DiCaprio, and she was right.

"Maka, you look..." He paused, not for effect like Maka had, but because he had no words in mind. "Wow..." Maka blushed further.

"You don't think it's too much, do you?" she asked sceptically.

"No, not at all."

"I can put my hair up if that's the problem."

"I wouldn't have you change a thing, Maka. You look..." _Don't you dare say it! _His subconscious blurted, but he ignored it. "Wow..."

Soul mentally facepalmed himself for being so uncool, but he was taken aback by the cute look the Maka put on as she giggled.

"Come on," she said, offering him her hand. "Let's head over while you think of some real adjectives."

He took her hand and, as she sailed gracefully by, whispered in her ear just three words.

"You look beautiful."

And with that said, both Meister and Weapon headed off, hand in hand, blushing red as Soul's eyes, while their friends tagged along further behind.

_**Later, Karakura Park, Isolated Area**_

Kai stood there, smiling courteously as each guest arrived. Kid, Soul, Maka and the Thompsons had arrived long before anyone else, as had Uryu, Chad, Urahara, Yoruichi, Tessai, Ururu, Jinta, Ichigo and Renji, once he had come round. Now the Captains and Lieutenants were arriving via a Senkaimon set up within the barrier they were using to keep out hollows and to stabilise the high pressure of the numerous Captain-level reiatsus so that it did not adversely affect the nearby inhabitants.

The dark-haired male rolled his head and fixed his collar. He had opted for something typical for him; a red dress-shirt with a black tie sporting a silver item in the image of Rertyan's mask over the knot, a black pair of trousers and matching jacket, and a pair of shiny black shoes. Hidden in the cuffs of his shirt was a pair of skull cuff links which he had obtained from his father and a set of dark chains arched between the belt-loops of his trousers.

"Yari, yari," came a familiar voice. "Looks like our Captain's all grown up."

Kai grinned to meet the newcomers, all eight of them, and high-fived the grinning blonde man.

"Hey, Shinji," he said warmly. "Glad to see you made it."

"Are you kidding? We wouldn't want to miss a day like this! Besides," Shinji's look went from friendly to slightly sly. "You did say someone wanted to meet us."

"Right, I'll introduce you guys to them after this. Find a seat where you like, we'll start pretty soon anyway."

No sooner had he said this did the Captains and Lieutenants arrive. Everyone took their seats and waited patiently for the wedding to start. Amongst the crowd, Kai could clearly see the turn-out; the afore mentioned cluster and the Vizards, Byakuya, Captains Hitsugaya, Kira, Unohana, Kyoraku, Komamura and Madarame, and Lieutenants Hinamori, Soifon, Ise, Iba and Matusumoto. He had been told that some of those missing had been put on guard but also that Ukitake was still in Seireitei, feeling unwell again, which had been a bit of a blow to Kai; the Head-Captain had been a good friend since he had known him.

Suddenly, Urahara started to play a keyboard he had brought in, playing the wedding march, catching Kai off-guard. He looked down the make-shift aisle an felt a smile spread over his face as he saw Orihime walking his way. Once the two stood side by side, they turned to the 'minister' while everyone watched on quietly.

"You look beautiful," the male whispered as Urahara read out the speech about marriage and it's commitments. Orihime blushed.

"You look handsome too," she replied softly. They shared a smile until Urahara looked to them, telling them he was about to start the important parts.

"If there is anyone present who feels that they bare reason why these two should not be bound in matrimony," he said loudly to the crowd. "Speak now or forever hold your peace." Nothing was said, so he disregarded it. "Good, in that case, I believe you have written your own vows?"

Kai nodded and turned to Orihime, holding her delicate hands in his. He chuckled a little after a brief pause..

"Seem to have forgotten what I was gonna say," he said, getting a faint laugh but also a look of disapproval from Byakuya as he watched on, stoic as ever otherwise. "Sorry. Orihime Inoue, I knew since the day I met you that you were special to me, but it wasn't until you came to find me that stormy night that I realised why you are so special. I didn't know what to do until you came looking for me again when I went berserk." He paused at this point and turned his head to the crowd. "By the way, I'm still sorry about that, everyone." Back to Orihime. "I thought you'd been searching for someone to protect you and be your family ever since you lost your brother. But now I see that you were just waiting for someone to come for you; lost in the sea of people, alone in the crowds. I don't ever want you to feel alone again, and I know I don't want to lose you."

A fews 'aw's passed over the crowd before Orihime smiled and spoke her vows.

"Kai, everything you said is true," she started. "I felt as if I didn't belong until you arrived, and then it was like a light turning on; everything was so clear in that instant. I was a little confused at first, but I knew deep down that I loved you, and I always will."

"That was lovely, thank you," Urahara smiled behide his fan, which he snapped shut. "Do you have the rings, Ichigo?" The orange-haired male nodded and handed both of them their partner's ring. "Orihime Inoue, do you take Kai Friel, Captain of Vizard Squad and holder for the record of the most destruction caused to Seireitei in the course of 24-hours," Kai glared a little at Urahara for this, but the Captain and Shop Keeper went on regardless. "As your lawfully wedded husband and eternal soul mate, in this life and in the next, in sickness and health, for better and worse, forever more?"

"I do," the auburn-haired girl smiled bashfully, a grin gracing Kai's face, side-tracking him.

"And do you, Kai Friel," Urahara went on, before Kai interrupted.

"Huh?" He blushed when he realised what it was. "Sorry, continue."

"Do you take this lovely young lady to be your wife and accept that you will be the envy of many of your classmates and have to fight some of them off?"

"Che," Kai grinned again. "They can try it, but no one's stopping me from marrying the woman I love. Yes, Urahara, I definitely do."

"Excellent!" The crowd cheered as Kai and Orihime slipped the rings into place. "By the power vested in me as Squad 13 Captain under the authority of the Gotei 14 and Seireitei, I now prnounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Without a hesitation, Kai embraced Orihime and the two kissed passionately, resulting in several wolf-whistles from the crowd.

"Ah, the beauty of young love," Kyoraku mused aloud, turning to his subordinate. "Oh, sweet Nanao, when will you be mine?"

"Captain, please," the Lieutenant brushed off the request quickly, fixing her glasses. "Now is not the time for your immaturity."

"Oh, come now, Nanao, there's nothing wrong with feeling affection for a superior officer."

"T-That is not- I don't-"

Meanwhile, above the wedding procession stood a group of people, all watching intently.

"Wow," Ed broke the silence. "So that's why he didn't want to come back."

Jessica and Alex looked down with detached interest, having not known the male who had just been married beneath their feet. Ella, on the other hand, looked as though she were suppressing her desire, an upset look barely visible in her eyes, but Jon had caught it and he could feel his rage boil inside, making his blood burn.

"Let's go get him then," Alex growled finally, reaching for his pocket, but Ed grabbed his wrist. "What are you-"

"Don't even think about it," Ed replied warningly. "You're going back to headquarters."

"By you," Jon asked. "Who do you mean?"

"All of you," Ed responded without hesitation. "Neither of you know Kai that well," He pointed to Alex and Jess, who nodded. "And, I'll be honest, you two don't really look like you want to see him right now," Jon's eyes narrowed but he stayed silent while Ella turned her head away. "But I want to talk with him, so head back, I'll join you all later."

Not being one to argue, Alex and Jess disappeared quickly, whereas Jon lingered to glare a while longer, then vanished. Ella turned to Ed.

"Tell him congratulations," she said shakily. "And that I wish him all the best."

And with that, she was gone. Ed sighed and turned back to the couple as they walked below him, following carefully.

_**Later, Urahara Shoten**_

The party beneath the shop was bustling as people talked with one another about the lucky couple, socialised as the music played or just had some fun. The Vizards had chosen a separate area away from the noise and spoke with Maka and Soul animatedly about their hollows, Ichigo and Rukia had gone upstairs and talked in the back rooms, Orihime was fussing over the guests and making sure everyone knew that she was grateful that they had turned up, and Kid was lamenting over the asymmetry about the DJ booth and the punch bowl, due to the three faces on it, two being symmetrical and the third being Kai's original mask.

Said married man was now sat on the roof, watching the afternoon clouds roll casually by. The party had gone on for several hours already and he had let himself out for some air.

"How big is this place?" came a voice, making Kai tense up. "Relax, I'm on my own."

He looked to his left and spotted Ed stood a few metres away, hands in his pockets. Kai remained suspicious, then gestured for him to come over, which Ed willingly accepted.

"Sure is peaceful around here," he commented, looking around. "I see why you like it."

"What are you still doing here?" Kai asked bluntly. "I've already refused to come back, why are you still trying to-"

"I'm not here for that."

"You're not?" Kai blinked.

"No, I know about you and Mrs Friel," He winked at this point. "So I know it wouldn't work. Oh, Ella says congrats, by the way."

Kai turned to his friend.

"Did she see it?" Ed nodded. "Damn. I was hoping she hadn't. Truthfully, I didn't want to give her false hope, but I guess it's too late to stop her hurting, huh?"

"I think so, she looked pretty hurt by it." Ed paused. "I actually came for a few reasons. Firstly, I want to apologise for how we acted a few months back. That was wrong of us, and I accept that it was not the right way to go about it."

"Apology accepted," Kai shrugged it off.

"And also, I wanted to warn you." Ed's eyes were deadly serious.

"Warn me? About what?"

"We think JX might be coming back here, don't know where or when, but there's a disturbance in Alkahmia and the Elders think it's him."

"Probably is..." Kai sighed. "If he comes back, I don't know if we can defeat him or not, but we need to fight as a team; your lot and mine." Ed smiled.

"Just like old times," he replied, high-fiving Kai, each gripping the other's thumb. They released and Ed stood. "I should go, Kai. I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Hey, Ed!" Ed stopped in his track and faced Kai again. "You're welcome to join us."

Ed shook his head.

"No, I need to get back to the base. See you, Kai." And in that instant, he disappeared.

"Bye, Ed."

_**Back Room**_

Rukia and Ichigo stopped speaking as the door slid open and a woman in a white uniform, her face covered, appeared.

"You are Ichigo Kurosaki, yes?" she asked. Ichigo nodded. "My name is Celest. My master, the King of Hueco Mundo, requests that you assemble a team of ten. He then requests an audience with you in Hueco Mundo, in Los Noches."

"And if I refuse?" Ichigo asked. Before he could move, Celest had her left hand around his throat, her right tightened on the hilt of a concealed zanpakuto.

"His majesty does not like to wait," the messenger replied. "Assemble your team and go immediately."

No sooner was this said did Celest vanish. Ichigo coughed a little, then stood.

"Rukia," he said firmly.

"Yes, Captain?" she asked. He turned to face her.

"Let's prepare a team."

* * *

_Gomenosai everyone, been real busy lately._

_A load of exams to revise for and then had to do homework in addition to that._

_Anyway, that aside, I think this is coming along nicely._

_So, please read and review, and I'll post again when I can; still have some exams though._

_Anyway, I'm tired and overheated, so I'm gonna hit the hay._

_Goodnight and Sayonara!_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

_**Note: **This chapter contains spoilers from the Arrancar arcs._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 7: Descent Into The Eternal Night Again**

_**Sanctuary Temporary Base, Later**_

Ed arrived at the hideout entrance and entered nonchalantly with his hands thrust into his pockets.

"I'm back!" he called to no one in particular. The huge chair before him swung around to reveal his commander sat there, awaiting him.

"You're late," Ken growled. Ed rolled his eyes.

"I'm not some puppet; I had to take care of something before I came back."

"You were told to bring him with you."

"Who's 'him'?" Ed asked coyly. "I went to see my friend get married."

Ken blinked, slightly surprised by this.

"Married, huh?" he mused, turning away from Ed. "Then you can get him back to our side through her."

Ed's heart skipped a beat at the order.

"What did you say?" he asked, ensuring he had not misheard.

"I said, threaten his wife and make him come back." The cold eyes fell onto Ed again, a disinterested look obvious. He was serious about what he had said. "Is that a problem?"

"A problem?" Ed repeated bitterly. "Oh no, it's not. A problem is forgetting your homework, accidentally losing your friend's book or something like that. This is just sick. I won't do it."

Ken's eyes showed a hint of resentment over Ed's response.

"Listen to me, Sun," he growled. "You don't have a choice; I am your Commander; I tell you to jump, you say 'how high', and when I give your an order, I expect you to follow it to the letter. Got it?"

Ed didn't respond, instead turning and walking away.

"In that case, we're done here." He reached the stairs, but something grabbed him. Ken had shot up and now gripped his arm tightly.

"I say when we're done, you insolent brat!" he spat venomously, throwing Ed to the floor behind him. "You are not finished with until the Sanctuary says so, got it?" A kick nearly caught the middle-aged man, but he dodged as Ed stood to punch him, but a pistol was drawn and smashed into Ed's face, spinning him away. "Don't bare you teeth at me, dog, and don't bark at the air. Now get to your cell before I show you why that hollow your friend has despises this weapon."

Reluctantly, Ed backed down, storming into his quarters with venom in his eyes, spitting blood at the floor as he went.

_**Urahara Shoten Underground**_

Urahara stood before the group and observed them. Ichigo's group consisted of the Squad 5 Captain himself, Rukia, Renji, Chad, Uryu, Kai, Maka, Soul, Kid, Liz and Patty, all of whom were split into their groups of colleagues.

"Are you ready to go through?" the Shop Keeper asked finally from his position atop the Garganta pillars. Everyone nodded. "Remember, bend your reiatsu to form a path across; and don't stop running."

"We know, Kisuke, you've said that so many times already that it's getting repetitive!" Ichigo called up to him. "Just open the damned thing!"

"As you wish, Ichigo, but be wary of what Hueco Mundo holds!"

Urahara knelt down on the right-hand beam of wood and leant his left hand on the crook of the cane, speaking the incantation to unlock the Garganta;

"Here in my right hand, the stone that connects the worlds," he chanted, his left hand beginning to glow blue. "In my left hand, the blade that binds existence," The energy around his hand flowed down the cane towards the right-most beam. "The shepherd with black hair, the chair of the noose, I strike the ibis as the clouds gather." The blue glow had spread to the beam of wood by now, when a stream of the energy leapt outwards and struck the left beam. The plane of energy slowly crept open to reveal a mouth-like, dark opening in the air as the glowing subsided everywhere. "Okay, it's ready when you are, Ichigo."

"Woah!" Patty exclaimed. "It's like someone just tore the sky open!"

"How is it you can downplay this so much, Patty?" her sibling pouted. "Who knows what's through there?"

"Actually, we do," Rukia replied. "We've had to go to Hueco Mundo before now; it's the land of the hollows, where all of them are made and live unless they pass through to the World of the Living."

"Great," the older Thompson girl whimpered. Kid sighed.

"Liz, you and Patty transform now, in case we run into a welcoming committee," he ordered. His weapons obeyed as he took out a skateboard and hopped on, catching the pistols as they fell towards his hands. "Soul, you should go into scythe-form just in case."

The albino nodded and jumped towards Maka, who caught him as the metal staff neared. With everyone ready, they leapt into the gaping void. Ichigo's unsteady pressure made a cracked, rough route forward as he ran, leading Rukia behind him. Renji's more stable flow provided the way across for Maka and Soul, though it still looked a little poorly made. Kai ran onwards by himself as Kid flew alongside him on Beezlebub, the skateboard he had pulled out, focussing on not tripping on the craggy ground he was forging. Uryu skimmed by ahead with Chad behind his steady stream of reiatsu, forming an almost surfboard-like item in his wake. The group pounded forwards, the only sounds in the desolate blackness were that of their feet hammering the unsteady roads, the soft growl of Beezlebub, and the clanking chain that shifted around Kai's torso as he ran.

"Man, this place is depressing," Kai recalled. "I wonder what Los Noches is gonna be like."

"What makes you say that?" Kid asked. "Haven't you been here before?"

"Well, admittedly not, I was in Karakura helping de- Yah!" The Vizard Captain yelped as he lost his footing and almost plummeted into the dark abyss. "Christ, that was close!"

"Could you make less noise, Friel?" Uryu snapped. "It's not easy controlling this you know!"

"Oh, shut up, Quincy!" Kai growled back. "You don't have to worry about falling off 'cause-"

A scream caught their attention as a crumbling sound came from the far left; right where Ichigo's trail was. By now, the groups had dispersed some distance, and Kai's trip had caught them off-guard, making Rukia repeat his error and slip off of the crumbling edge of Ichigo's path.

"Rukia!" the orange-haired Captain cried out, diving at the falling form of his subordinate, desperately grabbing for her.

Ichigo's grip found her wrist as it was about to slip through his fingers, but he was pulled over as the sudden stop forcefully used his strength against him. Both hung there, Ichigo's left hand tightly grasping hold of the weak reiatsu path above him while his right held Rukia's wrist as they dangled in the shadows. He looked down and smiled reassuringly as she gazed up at his chocolate brown eyes gratefully. But her gratitude soon became discarded for fear as the sound of a crack echoed above; Ichigo was holding the barely-intact road tightly, but their combined weight was too much and the pathway was tearing under it. Ichigo's wide eyes went from Rukia to the ledge and back again. He could see her eyes shine as fear set in; she was scared for their sakes.

"Ichigo," she pleaded. "Let me go, you can still save yourself."

"No," the male returned. "I'm not letting you go, Rukia, not now or ever!"

"Baka! Don't throw your life away for me! Think of your family!"

"You _are_ my family, Rukia," Ichigo protested adamantly. "I can't do it."

A few stray tears escaped Rukia's amethyst orbs and a smile came onto her features as she heard these touching words, but she gasped as she felt herself sliding away.

"I'm slipping!" she yelled, but it was too late; she had fallen from his grasp before Ichigo could do a thing. He stared wide-eyed after her.

"No..." he said in disbelief. "Rukia... R...RUKIA!"

"Gotcha!" came a two-toned shout as the sound of wings beating filled the air beneath him.

Kai swooped upwards, his mask on and wings flapping powerfully, before placing Rukia gently down onto the path as Ichigo began to pull himself up. The dark-haired Captain had heard the shout and did the best thing he could to help; he had hollowfied and used his wings to arrive faster and to grab Rukia as she fell through the void. With all three on the ground, Rukia and Ichigo panting heavily, Kai spoke again.

"Had a feeling you could use a hand," he said. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ichigo replied. Rukia just nodded.

"Cool. I'll head on in front and make you a path, should stay longer with hollowfied reiatsu."

He flew ahead, generating a steady stream of darker reiatsu for the duo to run across. After a while, Rukia broke the silence.

"Thanks, Ichigo," she said. "If you had let me fall, I wouldn't have been here now; you saved me."

"It's no problem." Ichigo replied, smiling to her.

"Um, Ichigo?"

"Hm?"

"What... What did you mean when you said I was family?"

"Uh," Ichigo stalled, his face as red as Renji's hair. Luckily, he was saved from answering as they ran through the other end and got away with a simple; "I'll tell you later."

The two burst through the opening and fell a few feet down to the white sands of Hueco Mundo, rolling a few feet before coming to a halt, Rukia atop Ichigo, their chests pressed against one another. They stared at one another for a while, both blushing a deep scarlet, before Rukia pushed herself off of her Captain and both staggered to their feet.

"S-sorry," the raven-haired Soul Reaper blushed. Her Captain grinned, still blushing a little.

"Don't worry about it," he replied, before a cough caught their attention. Renji was glowering a little at the pair, but he restrained himself, and he was not the cause of the cough.

"You came I see," the hooded woman said. "The King of Hueco Mundo wishes to speak with you immediately..." Celest paused. "My master requested, Ichigo Kurosaki, that you bring ten of your finest with you, not six. I suggest that you return when you have ten."

"We do have ten!" Kai shouted, flying just above them, still hollowfied. "You missed me and the three weapons down there!"

"A hollow in Soul Reaper uniform with a zanpakuto?" Celest murmured, bewildered. "I have never seen such a thing before."

"Friel, would you stop clowning around!" Uryu yelled, clearly fed up of the conversation.

"Tch, spoil-sport," Kai growled, touching down and removing his mask, the wings going with it, and sheathing his weapon behind him.

"We're ready to meet with your master," Ichigo said firmly, trying to address the arrancar formally. "Our seven are more than enough for the task he has for us. Take us to him."

"Very well then," she replied. "Follow me to Los Noches."

The group followed the arrancar, Ichigo and Rukia a few feet ahead while Kid and Maka trailed at the back. The pigtailed girl ran up to the dark-haired Captain, who trudged a short way ahead of her with his hands shoved into the pockets of his hakama.

"Why is he acting like that?" she asked. Kai turned his head to her and frowned.

"Who? And like what?" he asked.

"Ichigo. He seems to be being more formal than usual."

"Oh, that." Kai chuckled. "Since Aizen got killed in the Winter War, Hueco Mundo has been in need of a new King, and since the Espada were wiped out, we don't really know who is the new King of Hueco Mundo. Therefore, Ichigo's trying to set a good example to keep things between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo running smoothly, so to speak."

"Oh, that kinda makes sense." Maka nodded intently.

"How did your talk with the Vizards go?" Kai asked abruptly.

"Huh?" Maka looked thoughtfully to one side for a moment. "Oh, that! They were friendly enough, but I didn't really get a chance to find out how they came about their powers or how to control them."

"Oh," Kai trailed off.

"Could you teach me how to?"

"What?" Kai blinked. "What did you just say?"

"You have a control over these powers which means that you have a sort of control over Madness should it strike; you could generate energy waves of it and use them as an attack." Maka elaborated. "I want to know how to control the Madness inside Soul and I when we resonate, but I think only you can teach me how to do that."

Kai absorbed the information and sighed, running his hand through his shaggy black hair, muling it over.

"I'm not promising anything," he replied finally. "But I'll give it a go. But if you fall behind, let me warn you in advance, I won't go slower. You fall behind, you won't learn it. Alright?"

"Yes! Thank you, Kai!" she beamed, returning to her friends, not noticing the smirk on the male's features.

"Determined one, she is," he muttered to himself.

The group trudged on for several minutes, until they clambered over the crest of a sand dune, revealing the hulking mass of white stone that was Los Noches. The palace wall had two large holes in it, leaving it open to all who came across it. The once mighty dome was clearly missing the peak and the towers that once topped it were little more than charred stumps which resulted from Ichigo and Ulquiorra in their fight. The memories of the Quatra Espada turning to dust after his hollow had crushed his insides still haunted Ichigo on a bad day.

"Come," Celest ordered, leading the group into the palace, the main doorway cracked and open on one side, the other door broken and hanging by one rusted hinge.

The corridors were old and cracked, the once vibrant green-blue paintwork faded and yielding to the spiderweb of cracks left from the intense fighting in the compound. The arrancar led the group of seven into a large room where Ichigo had started his final fight with Ulquiorra, but the pillars were badly scratched or broken and crumbling in places as the damage took its toll on the structures. The once sparkling, pristine blue floor was upturned and littered with cracks and debris from the intensity of Ichigo's Kuroi Getsugas, and a pair of holes in the far wall from the bat-like Espada's cero and Ichigo's own Hollowfied Getuga Tenshou. The stone throne, which had been miraculously undamaged by the intense fighting, had not changed, but a masked arrancar resides on it, his torn white garb tattered around his body. The mask hid his eyes completely, masked his reiatsu and hid his features, including his hair. The man stood and Celest bowed.

"Sire," she said respectfully. "I have brought the man as you requested." Ichigo bowed to the King of Hueco Mundo as a sign of mutual respect; he did not want to impose, after all.

"Your Highness," the orange-haired Soul Reaper Captain said firmly. "It is an honour that you have requested my help, and I hope that this may lead to future alliances between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society."

The King absorbed this information, then softly chuckled, leading to a raucous laugh.

"Oh my, Kurosaki," he said, his voice booming and deep. "You have not changed in the slightest since our last encounter."

"Last encounter? We have never met before."

"You're a fool if you believe I would summon a stranger to my palace!" The laughter subsided as a hand reached up for the chin of the mask. "Gaze upon the face that you left to die all that time ago!"

The skull lifted away, taking the crown and purple fur that draped the arrancar's shoulders with it, and was discarded to one side. Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw a face he had not for a long time; the sinister glaring eyes, the blue-handled sword at his waist, the toothy, cheek-mounted segment of hollow mask and the electric blue hair all pointed to one person; and his powerful reiatsu only confirmed this theory.

"You're..." he started, but the arrancar nodded and finished for him.

"Yes, I am," he said, before announcing to those unaware of his identity. "I am the former Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jaggerjaques. And," He pointed to Ichigo. "I have a task for you, Ichigo Kurosaki."

There was silence as Ichigo's group prepared to release their weapons and fight anyone who attacked them, but no one came. Ichigo stood still, taking no action, staring into space a little before he finally asked his question.

"What business do you have with me, Grimmjow?" he asked calmly. "Is it that you want to fight me again, like I promised before Nnoitra cut you down? If so, I feel I must warn you, I'm stronger than last time we met."

Grimmjow waved a hand and disregarded the point.

"I'm holding you to that one," he replied. "But this is more important. First of all, I'm aware of your promotion in the Gotei 13 to Squad 5 Captain, and I know your friend down there is your Lieutenant. I also know that the man I don't recognise must be the elusive Vizard Captain, but these do not bother me as of yet."

"Then why the hell did you summon us here?" Kai growled, losing his patience.

"You are aware, I assume, of the destructive power of an Espada's release, and that it rivals that of a Bankai," Grimmjow explained. "Well, only two Espada have ever extended beyond this to what is know as a Ressurrecion Segunda Etapa, one of which is the former Quatra, Ulquiorra Schiffer." Ichigo nodded solemnly, remembering how the Espada had melted away in the wind above the dome so long ago. "Well, he also had the uncanny ability of high-speed regeneration of non-essential organs, which is why you are here. It seems something odd happened upon his death; Ulquiorra's discarded horn did not break down with his body, and his right eye rebuilt. On top of this, some of the ashes of his body built up together but seemed to lack the energy needed to rebuild him. We had these three artifacts stored to ensure that he could not be reborn and had them placed under the guard of two current Espada and a Privaron Espada to make sure no one could bring him back. These items and the Espada were taken a few nights ago now and have vanished without a trace.

"I want you to search for the items and the Espada and get them all back here as soon as possible," Grimmjow went on. "If Ulquiorra were to be reborn, his power would crush mine, and I can't let that happen, so I summoned the one person who stopped him before. I'm counting on your help, Ichigo."

The orange-haired Captain thought about the matter; Ulquiorra was undoubtedly a powerful adversary, and his destruction had been more luck than Ichigo's power topping his. In fairness, Ichigo had been slaughtered by rights, but his hollow had brought the battle around and destroyed Ulquiorra without taking any damage at all.

"Alright, Grimmjow," Ichigo finally answered. "But I'm only accepting so that I can protect those in the World of the Living from him; got that?"

"I expected nothing more from you," the blue-haired King replied, pulling out two items and throwing them to Ichigo; one bearing an insignia of some sort, the other a black cube. "That cube is a Garganta manipulator; use it to get back here when that insignia tells you. Also, I'm placing my highest-ranked warriors at your disposal; show them the insignia and you'll show them that you have my authority bestowed upon you." Grimmjow turned and walked away. "You can go back to the World of the Living, but be prepared for the call."

_**Hueco Mundo Hidden Area**_

The maniacal laughter echoed through the cave walls as the three warriors were placed in position along with the Ashes, the Horn and the Eye. Aizen laughed crazily.

"The time is here," he mused, fiddling with dials and various switches and levers to get the machinery running. "Soon, he shall be reborn!"

The captured arrancar began to wake slowly. Each was lying in a sealed pod surrounding a tall green glass tube with the three specimens from Ulquiorra stored within it. As the machines turned on, the screams of the Privarone and regular Espada resonated off of the walls as they were torn apart and made into reshi. The energy began to build together and soon filled the tube with a swirling mixture of red, blue and yellow reshi. Each piece of the fallen Espada broke down into this reshi mixture and a greenish hue began to show through as the energy took the shape of a man where his left head held a helmet-like mask segment and a green-hilted zanpakuto hung at his waist. With the process completed, the tube shattered, revealing the Espada in all his former glory.

"Ulquiorra Schiffer," Aizen purred. "Welcome to my domain!"

"Lord Aizen," the green-eyed Espada replied, bowing. "It is good to be back. What would you have me do?"

"For now, wait." Aizen began to laugh hysterically. "They shall come for you, and it shall spell the end for them!"

* * *

_Sorry everyone, this last week or two have sucked for writing._

_But still, I'm back, I'm well and I'm sorry that this one was shorter than normal, but oh well._

_Next chapter with be up within a fortnight, don't know when._

_But for now, read and review; I'm gonna hit the hay, so to speak._

_Sayonara!_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 8: Demons in the Woodwork**

_**Kurosaki House**_

The words he had said kept running through her head as the pair got ready for the school day ahead of them.

"_You _are_ my family, Rukia, I can't do it._" Ichigo's words came back once more as Rukia risked a glance at him, his back still to her.

The girl had spent a long time puzzling over the words, but she still had multiple conclusions from which she could not differentiate. Ichigo constantly wanted to protect his friends, just as anyone would their family, which led her to one conclusion that he feels his close friends are his family; which is not as silly as it first sounds considering she is considered Isshin's 'third daughter' and that the twins both looked up to her like an older sibling (ok, more Yuzu, but Karin seemed to be warming to her too). Only one other idea showed through and could be considered correct, and that was that Ichigo had feelings for her which he was hiding.

Ichigo turned and saw the look on his room mate and friend's face and frowned a little; she seemed distant compared to normal. Even as the pair walked to school, early though they may have been, Rukia still seemed troubled, and seeing her like this made Ichigo crumble a little inside. Eventually, he let out a sigh as they walked along the riverbank and grabbed her wrist, pulling her off of the path and down the slope.

"Ichigo, wha-" she started, but he silently interrupted when he looked her in the eye; his unsettled feelings were clear in those amber windows. "What is it?"

"You, Rukia," he replied softly, maintaining his gaze. "You seem troubled today; what's wrong?"

The Kuchiki opened her mouth briefly, but snapped it shut, biting her lip and turning her gaze away. Ichigo waited, not wanting to push to hard from fear of making her snap at him and thereby leaving the problem still there. Finally, she looked up, her eyes refusing to meet his.

"I'm just confused," she said in barely a whisper. "I don't know what to think any more, Ichigo. All these mixed messages you seem to be giving off; why is it so..." She trailed off, her breath hitched slightly.

"So what, Rukes?" Ichigo asked, lifting her chin so that her eyes met his. "You know I can't help if you don't tell me what is wrong in the first place."

"Why..." The dark-haired Soul Reaper Lieutenant's eyes sparkled sadly as she got her question to piece together and come out. "Why is it so hard for you to show your feelings?"

Ichigo blinked, surprised both by the way Rukia reacted to the topic and also by the way she had to practically scream to get her question out. Equally, Rukia was surprised she had shouted the words at him. Ichigo let go of Rukia's hand and looked around, coming to terms with the surroundings. Rukia waited, not knowing if her outburst had upset him. She was about to apologise, when he spoke up suddenly.

"This is the place where mum died," he said quietly, walking to the crook in the slope and sitting there in the warm sun of the Spring morning. He sighed into his knees before he went on. "I'm sorry, Rukia. I didn't realise that my emotions were so guarded, or that you were becoming confused by my actions."

"Then tell me, Ichigo," Rukia replied softly, sitting beside him. "I can't help you if you won't let me. Explain how you feel, because I don't know what goes through your head any more; what did you mean in the Garganta when I almost fell?"

Ichigo's eyes betrayed him once more, the mixture of... Rukia was stunned, but the traces were definitely there; Ichigo was afraid of something. Her hand found its way to his and gave it a reassuring squeeze, causing a blush on both their faces.

"I've been thinking of how to say this for a long time, Rukia," he replied finally, his eyes showing their typical resolve, though the essence of fear still clouded their shine. "But I've never found the right way to tell you, and I'm sorry for that." He looked her in the eyes. "And I'm sorry for being a coward all this time, and for clouding your judgement with my unclear feelings, but I'm going to right those wrongs."

Ichigo took Rukia's hands in his own and raised them to their knees, his thumbs gently brushing the dainty porcelain flesh which clad her appendages, sending shocks down her spine and making a soft, pink blush tinge her pale cheeks.

"Rukia, ever since you turned my life around, everything has been so clear," he went on. "Whether it was fighting the Soul Society to save you, or fighting that bastard Aizen to protect the world, or any other battle we've had over the time we've spent like this, I've felt myself grow stronger, but my strength would be nothing without you.

"You, Rukia Kuchiki, are the reason that I fought the Captains, the reason I defeated my inner hollow, the reason I've defeated opponent after opponent in battle. You are the piece that makes me whole, Rukia, and I want you to know that I would do anything and everything I can to make you happy and keep you safe; I would take on Kenpachi bare-handed if it made you happy, I would punch Byakuya in the nose so long as you wanted me to, and I would tear the worlds apart, from Hueco Mundo to Soul Society and back again, if it meant that you would stay safe. And that's because I..." His tongue seized up and he swallowed to suppress the growing anxiety in his being.

_Come on, you coward, you can't chicken out now,_ his consciousness urged him on. _Here goes nothing,_ he thought, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"And that's because, Rukia," he said. "I love you."

_**Karakura High**_

"Hm, this isn't usual," Miss Ochi mused, checking attendance. "Friel, Grim, Kurosaki, Kuchiki, Threader, all missing. How strange."

Just then the door slid open to reveal a pair of panting students, who entered quickly.

"Sorry, Ochi-sensei," Ichigo panted to their teacher. "Alarm didn't go off again."

"Fine, just take your seats and don't make a habit of it," the older woman brushed off the excuse. "Ok, class, turn to page 203 and start reading Act 3 Scene 4 to yourselves!"

Silence enveloped the class as everyone focussed on the task. Ichigo read on until a faint noise caught his attention. He looked out of the window and saw a slight plume of dirt come from the park and a rumbling noise was also distantly noticeable. His attention was drawn back to the desk as a piece of paper landed on the wooden surface. Written on the wings in a neat scrawl was a simple message; 'Wait five minutes then meet me on the roof.'

"Excuse me, Ochi-sensei," a voice called out. "I need to go to my dentist appointment now."

"Oh, yes, that's fine," the teacher waved towards the door, not looking up from her book. "Go ahead, Edward."

The adolescent walked out, shooting Ichigo a nod as he left. The orange-haired teen, without hesitating, reached into his pocket and pulled out the green capsule he had stashed there. When he was certain no one was looking, he swallowed the pill and headed out of the window in his spirit-form before anyone could tell that he had left, leaving Kon in control of his body. He made it to the roof roughly on time.

"Thanks for doing that," Ed said courteously to Ichigo, who just glared at him. "I can see you're still finding it hard to trust me, and I don't blame you in the slightest, but right now there're more important issues to deal with."

"What do you mean?"

"It's about Kai; I think Jon might be fighting him."

As if on cue, another rumble echoed from the park and a pulse of wind laced in a venomous reiatsu whipped passed them. Ichigo grunted as he held his ground.

"The hell is that?" he asked.

"Exactly what I told you," Ed replied, taking out a device from his pocket and securing it to his right shoulder. "If we work together and hurry, we can stop them before they tear the place apart." He pressed a button and uttered the words "Activate Shift-Phase." and summoning his katana to his hand. "Let's go!"

The two leapt into the air and headed for the park to stop the craziness before they tore Karakura to shreds.

_**Earlier, Downtown**_

Kai and Orihime ran down the street hand in hand as they headed for school.

"I told you we should get a new alarm," Kai chuckled as they ran. Orihime blushed but let out a laugh too.

"Yeah, I guess so," she replied, but she stopped, pulling Kai to a halt too, when she saw a figure before them. The male stood there, glaring at Kai as a dark reiatsu leaked from his being.

"You bastard," Jon growled. "How could you do that to her?"

"Kai, wh-" Orihime never finished her question as Kai stepped ahead of her.

"Don't ask questions, 'Hime," he replied firmly. "Just get to school, I'll catch up."

"But-"

"Please, Orihime, just do as I say this once!" He looked her in the eye. "I can't risk losing you, so please get away from here. I'll be fine."

Seeing how firmly opposed to getting into a fight with her in close proximity, Orihime ran off passed Jon and towards Karakura High. The two males exchanged dark looks with one another, before Jon dashed forward, grabbing Kai by his throat and forcing him to the park with little trouble, throwing him to the ground.

"Get up and take out your zanpakuto," he growled, activating his Shift-Phase unit and summoning a dark-bladed katana. "You're going to pay for what you've put Ella through."

"I never meant to hurt her, or any of you," Kai protested, swallowing his Gikongan. "But since there's no reasoning with you, I'll have to fight you." He turned to his body. "Get to safety." The Gikongan nodded and ran off into the park, allowing Kai to turn back to Jon. "If your pride has blinded you this much, maybe my flames will make you see the error of your ways."

"Howl madly at the black abyss, Moonlit Howler." The katana took on the warhammer shape of it's Shikai. "You really think you can beat me?"

"You're forgetting that I've already kicked the crap out of you before," Kai replied, his zanpakuto wreathed in fire as he revealed the pistols. "Let's just get this over with."

Kai moved first, loosing a flaming Chaos Wave at Jon, but he countered with a heavy swing of his hammer and struck the ground, creating a huge crack in the floor. He lunged forwards and swung again, and then again, repeating the movement until a large number of cracks had appeared. He abruptly jumped backwards and rose his left palm, as if mustering energy together.

"Shadow Eruption!" he shouted, balling his hand into a fist.

The cracks burst as a huge mass of dark reiatsu poured from them in the form of wolves, leaping out of the cracks and rearing up and at Kai, but he had seen this move and knew how to counter. He leapt into the air, the wolves chasing, gaining on him all the while, before pulling on the three-horned mask and pulling out a pistol with his right hand, the beam of dark reiatsu more than enough to destroy the cluster, but it also ensured that the cracks were shattered and could not be used to repeat the attack. Kai allowed himself a moment to work out how best to neutralise Jon without having to kill him was, but a sudden jolt caught him off-guard and he plummeted, catching a glimpse of his assailant.

Alex had been positioned in such a way that he was hidden from sight, and Jon's massive reiatsu had obscured his presence, but from the air, Kai could see the Sanctuary Agent, his mask on and Blitzkrieg released on his arm, the muzzle of which had mild traces of electricity dispersing around it, a tell tale sign that it was in fact the perpetrator behind the stinging sensation in his back.

"Cheating bastard!" he roared, loosing another fiery Chaos Wave, this one knocking Alex over and rendering him incapacitated temporarily. As he landed, Kai whirled round to Jon. "You knew full well that Threader was there, didn't you?"

"Of course, I'm the one who told him to shoot you," Jon replied bluntly. "I can see that this is getting nowhere, so I'm telling you this; release your Bankai, or I'll crush you here and now!"

"No, I refuse to fight like this; this is ridiculous!"

"No it isn't, you hurt Ella!"

"She's tough, she'll understa-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Jon roared, his pent up rage reaching boiling point. "You led her on and crushed her dreams; you broke her heart, you fucking bastard! She cried over your decision, Kai! _You_ did that to her! That's why I have to kill you; to protect her!" Tendrils of black and purple reiatsu snaked around Jon and his weapon as he snarled. "Bankai! Silver-Spined Moon Wolf!"

The dark energy consumed Jon as his rage and bloodlust erupted into a raging torrent to fuel his power. Kai sighed, knowing he had no choice, he would have to go all-out to stop him. He drew out his Enigma Cypher and focussed his energies.

"Cypher activate!" he yelled, creating a blue energy wave as the pent-up energy became accessible, blue fire-like reiatsu surrounding him as Jon emerged.

The traces of the boy were all lost inside the Bankai, which resembled more of an Espada's release in terms of structure; the body was of an eight-foot-tall werewolf with grey fur and huge, powerful arms and legs. The creature flexed its huge digits, its black claws glinting menacingly in the sunlight as it bared its teeth, releasing a series of silver spikes around the neck like a collar and along the beast's back. It opened it's blood-red eyes and snarled animalistically, any control the boy had gone from sight as it reared up and howled loudly. Around them, dark wolves started to emerge, each baring the red irises of their master, and waited for the command to strike.

Kai snorted, clutching the zanpakuto tighter.

"Supernova Dragon," he growled, the dragon's eyes lighting up as if awakened by the call of its name as Kai held the head before his chest, before he whispered to it. "Let's light the way back for him. Supreme Release."

The shockwave the release emitted smashed through the shadow-wolves and almost knocked Jon over, but he managed to watch as the dust storm cleared around Kai, revealing him in a sphere of red energy, his zanpakuto's blade dissipating into nothingness, the head chaining to his body. In an instant, a pair of large wings unfurled as a tail lazily uncoiled behind him. The helmet appeared last along with the armour-plating and claws, but Jon could have sworn that he saw Supernova's spirit briefly appear and meld into Kai's body. The energy subsided, showing Kai to have no weapon.

"Hit me," he said as Jon regarded him with shock. "Hit me with everything you've got, Jon!"

Without any hesitation, Jon roared again, the wolves converging on Kai this time while he launched the silvery spines at the same target. After the barrage, the werewolf leapt high into the air and swung his claws in a swooping arc to ensure the target was dead...

A sharp feeling like a pin became obvious in Jon's palm and he found himself unable to complete the attack. The smokescreen passed gradually, revealing Kai, a single clawed finger pressed to Jon's palm and stopping the strike. The wolf jumped backwards, shocked by the turn of events, a.

"What the-" he questioned in his low growling voice, but Kai chuckled and looked at him with piercing red irises, just like his hollow eyes but without the black sclera.

"Is that all you've got?" he asked, almost sounding amused. "I thought you'd have more tricks than that. Oh well." He raised his hand to shoulder height, arm fully extended, and opened his fingers, a trail of red taking on the impression of a sword. "I'll give you the courtesy of showing you this forms most powerful attack." He gripped the red grip and the weapon instantly reacted, solidifying to it's master's touch. "This is why this is called 'Hypernova Dragon'. It's over, Grim."

The silver-bladed sword started to shine as a mixture of blue lightning and red-white flames pulsed over it, shrouding Kai's wings and right arm as he tightened his fingers around the hilt. He raised his weapon towards the sky as it emanated a roar like a dragon's cry.

"Hypernova Dragon; Thunder Wave!" he yelled, loosing the swing.

A huge, bright arc of red and white swirling energy tore through the space between the two warriors, the flames and electricity obscuring it as it hurtled towards Jon. Still getting over the shock of the power of this new release, Jon instinctively attempted to halt the ripple with a large, clawed hand, but the force of it sent him backwards as the ripple tore through the ground and singed the foliage nearby, stray streams of electricity scarring the ground as it dragged through the worn track. When the attack had forced a good hundred metres or so of distance between the combatants, Kai placed his left palm against the right-flat of his blade, making it glow a deep red. He swung the sword, an arc of red light pulsing outwards as if it were a radio wave, striking the Thunder Wave and setting it off; the wave started to fade into a deep red hue, before exploding in a blast of lightning and fire.

Above the park, not far from the battle site, Ed and Ichigo shielded their eyes from the powerful plume of flames and the thick smoke which billowed from the ground below.

"My guess is that's them," Ed said. "We need to make sure-" A blast of blue lightning barely missed the pair, but this came from another area of the forest; the area which Alex was stationed, his weapons muzzle masked in smoke. Ed growled. "Idiot. I'll sort him out and get them back, you take care of Kai, Ichigo."

"You got it," Ichigo replied, still a little suspicious of Ed's motives, before he moved towards the scorched battle-zone. The brown-haired male turned his attention to the assailant as he fired again, missing again.

"With the power of a thousand suns, blaze your name across the whole of time, Solar Spear!" he yelled, his blade becoming thinner and darker as fire consumed it.

He swung the fiery weapon in an arc in mid-air, loosing a blast of fire upon the boy, who barely dodged in time. Alex lunged at Ed, a blade of electrified energy jutting from beneath the muzzle, but Ed focussed the flames and sunlight into the shape of a large blade, much like a serrated spearhead, and countered with a single slash, sending the gun-like weapon wide. Seizing the opportunity, Ed thrust the sword into the under-barrel blade's energy chamber, the blade dissipating as the device was destroyed. Alex backed off, trying to get enough space to hollowfy and fire his weapon again, but Ed was faster; he lunged forwards and performed two swings in quick succession, the blade slicing through the muzzle with the first and the hilt smashing the mask as it collided in the second; needless to say, the weapon was only now good for punching someone harder than usual. It's wielder toppled over with the force of the second strike and found an intensely hot blade near his throat.

"Lose the weapon, Threader," Ed growled warningly. "Or I'll have to remove that arm of yours." Knowing he could not withstand the power and force Ed possessed, Alex backed down and sealed the broken zanpakuto, removing his Shift-Phase device and pocketing it. "Now," Ed continued. "What were you doing?"

"Commander Smith ordered me to help Jon with anything he wanted," Alex explained from his place on the floor. "Jon wanted to kill the fugitive, so I tried to help."

"The fugitive?" Ed thought for a moment. "Oh, you mean my friend, don't you?" Alex nodded, receiving a kick in the chest for his efforts. "Don't ever consider doing that again, or you'll have me to deal with, got it?" Another nod. Ed removed the blade from his throat and sealed it. "Get the hell out of my sight."

Without hesitation, the boy ran into the forest. Pleased with the result, Ed hid his sword and removed his device, before then walking to the other battle-zone. Ichigo stopped the male as he appeared into the clearing, and Ed soon understood why; Kai was stood in his Supreme Release form a few feet from Jon's fallen body. While Kai had barely a scratch on him and had dissipated his sword, Jon had a series of wounds and bruises from the final attack. He choked and coughed out a spray of blood, still gripping his dark-silver sword.

"Bastard!" He spat the word and an amount of blood fell near Kai's feet. "You've got the talk, but you've got no bite! I thought you said you would show me why it's called 'Hypernova'!"

"I did," Kai replied calmly. "Those injuries are not because you fought off the attack, but because I only put about half of my full power into it and aimed to you right side." Jon's eyes widened. "If I had given it my all, the Thunder Wave would have consumed you completely; you would be dead. This way, you are only defeated."

"Fuck you!" Jon screamed, another coughing fit sprouted from him. "You're lying!"

"I am not. And this isn't my most powerful state; that too would have destroyed you completely."

Jon let the information sink in, blood pouring from his wounds, then he let out a cry. Kai walked over to him, his Supreme Release drawing away and sealing into his Shikai once more.

"Why?" Jon pleaded quietly. "Why did you take away my pride? Why didn't you kill me?"

"For her." Kai's reply startled Jon and he raised his head to the Vizard. "You know that she's hurting from where I left, and I know that you would do anything for her. That is why I spared your life; because losing you would be too much of a strain on Ella, and I can't allow myself to hurt her any more than I have. I won't fight you for revenge, Jon, but I'm willing to go back to how it used to be; when we could be looking down the abyss, just you, Ella, Ed and me, ready to have each other's backs and kick the bad guys in the face."

Jon allowed this to set in, then looked down, his eyes hidden.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I wasn't thinking, I just hated to see Ella that hurt. I thought that removing the cause of that pain would help, but it just made realise how wrong I was."

"Is that true, Jon?" came a meek voice. Ella stepped out of the tree line, her left hand clutching her shirt tightly as she waited. Jon rolled to face her and nodded.

"I'm sorry, Ella," he said. "I've made so many mistakes, that I lost sight of why I did those things. Can you ever forgive me?"

By now, Ella was by the fallen warrior's side, smiling weakly as tears of mixed joy and sadness poured out of her eyes.

"There's nothing to forgive," she replied, hugging him. She looked up at Kai. "Thank you, Kai, for not killing him, and for helping Jon see where he went wrong. And..." Ella smiled to him. "Congratulations on finding that special someone."

"Thanks, Ella," he grinned, but it disappeared as a sound like the one Ichigo's Combat Pass made when there was a hollow but in a deeper tone sounded. Ichigo pulled out the Hueco Mundo crest, which flashed red in his hand. "That time already?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied, texting those in his team a simple message of 'H.M. Urahara's', then he turned to Kai again. "Let's get to Urahara's." Kai nodded and turned to his friends.

"Sorry, guys, duty calls," he called over his shoulder as he and Ichigo ran. "We'll talk later!"

And with that, they were gone, leaving Ed and Ella to get Jon to the hospital. On the way, Kai turned to Ichigo, who seemed more cheerful than usual.

"Did you tell Rukia?" he asked, and Ichigo nodded, knowing what he meant...

_**Earlier, Riverbank**_

Rukia waited as the pregnant pause fell over them, feeling anxious to know what the end of the sentence was.

"And that's because, Rukia," the orange-haired teen had said. "I love you."

Rukia's eyes widened, her jaw hung limply open and her cheeks went from the soft pink of before to a deep shade of scarlet. She had waited for as long as she had known Ichigo for him to say those words to her, and now that he had, she was speechless.

"I-" she stuttered. "Ichi-"

"I knew it," he said, standing up. "I knew you wouldn't love me back. I'm such an idiot! And now I've gone and ruined our friendship too!" He ran his hands through his thickly spiked hair. "Why am I such a-"

"Ichigo," Rukia's soft tone silenced the babbling male. "You don't understand. I..." Now it was Rukia's turn to confess. "You have no idea how long I have longed for you to say those words to me. I always imagined that I would make some kind of speech over it to confirm my own feelings for you, but now that it's happened, I don't know what to say, except that I love you too, and I want to be with you for as long as we both live and breathe."

Ichigo's baffled look gave way to a grin. He walked to Rukia's side, cupped her face and gently kissed her lips. Rukia, quickly recovering from being stunned by the sudden action, hugged Ichigo tightly and kissed back more passionately before he could pull back from her. The pair kissed deeply, their hands running all over the other's body in a loving embrace. It was not until the watch on Ichigo's wrist beeped, warning them that class would start in about five minutes, that they realised how late they were, grabbing their bags and dashing off towards Karakura High.

_**Later, Hueco Mundo**_

The group stepped out into the white sands and the eternal night that was Hueco Mundo, and were greated by three figures; one belonged to Grimmjow, who stood in the middle of the group, to his left was the black-robed figure of Celest, and to his right was a familiar, busty woman with a broken skull sat atop her head.

"Itsygo!" she cried out, leaping onto the man and hugging him tightly, practically choking him. "I'm so glad to see you again! It's been so long!"

"Gah!" Ichigo choked out. "Nel... Please... Let go!"

Eventually, the group pulled the woman off of Ichigo and Grimmjow explained his summoning of them while Ichigo regained his breath.

"My scouts which I sent out to scour Hueco Mundo just came back with some interesting findings," he explained. "It seems that a vast reserve of reiatsu is coming from what is locally called Skull-Mask Cavern. It's a large cave system which runs under the sands and nearly reaches the Menos forest. Also, a great deal of energy is being drawn to an area of this cave system, which would make it a perfect hiding place for Aizen and his allies if he is still here. We're going to start the trek there now; it's a nearly 3 day journey. And before you ask 'why don't we just use the Garganta to get there?', the problem with that is there is a jamming pressure around the cave which starts here, so we are as close as we can get. Are you ready?"

Everyone nodded. Ichigo stood and nodded.

"Let's get this finished quickly, Grimmjow," he said, before he and his team walked into the unknown of the desert, the arrancars leading the way forward.

* * *

_Yes! First day back from Ypres and this chapter is finished!_

_Yeah, sorry for those waiting, I was in Ypres for three days and completely knackered when I got back Friday, then my internet kept dropping out, so this couldn't be uploaded until now._

_Anyway, I hope you're liking the story so far and also I hope you liked the fluffy moment in there :3_

_So, please review after you've read it and let me know where I went wrong, where I went right and if there should be more fights, romance or whatever._

_But for now from me; Auf wiedersehen, Sayonara, Au revoir and Goodbye for now!_

_PS, apologies if these are misspelt, I mean no offence if they are!_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 9: The Creatures of Blood**

Kai gazed around the sand dunes as the group walked across Hueco Mundo, his brow furrowed somewhat. Ichigo looked over to him, noticing this, and nudged his friend in the ribs.

"What is it?" he asked. Kai shrugged.

"I'm not quite sure," he admitted. "Something doesn't feel right, though. It's too quiet for my liking."

"I agree, but we can't be sure of what is in store for us until we reach it," Ichigo replied.

"I was afraid you'd say that," Kai commented dryly. "It's also the Sanctuary." Ichigo sighed, making Kai's gaze snap to him. "What?" His voice had an edge of hostility but mostly was friendly curiosity.

"The Sanctuary," Ichigo replied. "You mean the bastards that don't believe that you didn't kill your commanding officer and turned against you, right? But that's behind you; you shouldn't dredge up the past so much or you'll never move forward."

"I know that," Kai snapped irritably. "I was actually wondering what they've got in store for us; I spoke with Ed after the wedding, and he said that there's something going on in Alkahmia, and it's got me thinking what JX is doing."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo frowned.

"I mean that bastard is almost certainly still working with the Zempaki, and if that is the case, they might have helped him grow stronger somehow." He touched his scar over his heart. "I can still feel him here; wherever he is and whatever he does, I feel it in my body too. Sanctuary scientists thought it was something called 'subconscious imprint', a link between beings which split from one. I know he won't rest until he's in control of both dimensions, and he probably won't stop there either." Kai's eyes fell on Ichigo once more. "I want you to help me defeat him, Ichigo. I don't think I could take on everyone by myself, even if my friends from the Sanctuary were to help."

Ichigo smirked and patted his friend's shoulder.

"You got it, Kai," he replied. "We've got you back with this one."

"Thanks... And promise me one other thing," His voice had turned darker as he spoke. "I may have to change to take him on. I want you to promise me that if I show any signs of turning, no matter how small," His eyes were hard and cold as he said this. "I want you to kill me." Ichigo looked shocked by this, but listened on. "If JX kills me, then it would just mean that he outmatched me, but if I join his side, he could become unstoppable; imagine our reiatsus merged and our weapons fused too; it would spell the end for Alkahmia and for the World of the Living, and I can't allow that to happen, so promise me you'll do me that one last service."

"I will," Ichigo replied solemnly. "If it happens."

"Thank you. You'll find my fighting style protects my neck and my left-hand back; these are my weak-points."

The conversation was abruptly ended as a loud roar echoed somewhere ahead of them.

"Can anyone see it?" Rukia asked, her hand tightening around the zanpakuto at her waist, but Kai fully unsheathed his.

"I'll check it out with my wings," he said, donning his mask. "Hopefully that'll give me that surprise element I need to kill it if needs be."

He unfurled his wings in a flurry of red reshi and took to the air again, quickly spotting the creature. It was a dark teal colour with a dripping black mask like the one in Karakura, its green eyes resting on Kai quickly. Before he could react, the creature had revealed two tube-like appendages sheathed in its back and fired two streams of a black tar-like substance. The winged Vizard dodged left and swooped downwards, using a Shunpo to abruptly change his attack direction as the attack was repeated. His blade sliced through the beast's back, leaving a wound with profusely oozed the substance from before, but his second attack missed, instead hacking through the tubes. A spray of its ammunition hit Kai in the face and he backed away, gagging as the foul stench and god-awful taste impaired his fighting ability. He tore the lower jaw of his mask away and spat the gunk from his mouth, but he had left himself open and took a heavy-handed punch to the chest, sending him back a few feet.

Uryu took the opportunity while Kai had the beast's attention to fired a barrage of arrows at it, but they barely pierced the skin and the wounds were quick to heal. Ichigo roared, focussing his energies into Zangetsu.

"Soul Resonance!" he yelled, the cleaver taking on its more powerful, blue state.

He ran at the creature, but it used the openings in its back to form wings of black blood and take off, escaping Ichigo's gasp. The Captain fired a Getsuga from his Resonating zanpakuto, but a ball of black blood plummeted onto it, causing it to prematurely explode. Rukia was also in Resonance, her icy blade firing a jet of freezing snow at the hollow, but the attack missed. The creature roared again and the ground shook around them.

"What the-" Soul started, but a huge grey hand emerged by his Meister's feet and gripped the sandy ground, pulling itself up. "Maka, watch out!"

The girl leapt away as another hollow appeared, this one with yellow eyes and the same mask, but it also had a pair of cuts in its forearms, from which it managed to muster a pair of blade made of black blood. The floor opened up and revealed four more of the creatures, each sporting a mask and various attributes of its own; one had four arms, one had six tubes which could be summoned from its back to fire black blood, the fifth one had small pores in its back, shoulders and fists from which it could fire bloodied needle-like projectiles and the last one was fairly large compared to the others and had a large tail, wings and three heads, giving it a dragon-like look about it.. The group gazed at the five hollows, deciding what to do.

"Rukia and I will take that one with the blades," Ichigo said firmly. "Renji, you and Chad deal with the four-armed one. Maka, Kid, that one with the tube things on it. Uryu, your bow skills would be best against that one with the pores, so you take care of it. Grimmjow, your lot should deal with the last one."

"What about the one that's flying?" Maka asked, her head turned to her left and away from the winged beast when an explosion echoed behind from the sky.

Kai stood with his Resonating Frenzy mode ready, smoke emanating from the blade from under the flames. He grinned to them before pulling on his mask again.

"He's mine!" he shouted, springing up at the creature and flip-kicking it in the face for effect. Ichigo shook his head.

"Show off," he muttered, tensing up. "Go!"

The two Meisters leapt forward, the scythe catching the hollow in the ribs while it was off-guard, but it quickly recovered and extended a tubular appendage towards Maka, launching a torrent of black sludge at the place she had been standing moments before. Kid used the time to form his Resonance.

"Noise level 1.7%" Liz informed Kid before he fired the twin cannons at the creature.

The dual strikes in the face did little but disorientate the beast, and even that was brief. It reared up and launched three blasts of black blood at Kid, but the Grim Reaper was prepared for this counter attack and sprung away from the creature at the last minute, firing a couple of blasts at the creature to preoccupy it and draw its attention away from Maka while she resonated with Soul.

Meanwhile, Renji and Chad were having slightly worse luck with their target; the hulking four arms of the creature meant it had no need for weapons. A punch came at Chad, but his shield-like right arm blocked it with a grunt. The second came at his left, his more vulnerable side when he was blocking a frontal attack, but the huge bone snake Renji wielded head-butted the hollow in the face and sent it backwards a few feet.

"Thanks," Chad said gruffly.

"No problem," Renji replied. "But we need to think of a way to defeat this guy!"

The serpent lunged forwards at its master's command, lashing forwards and biting down on the top-right arm. The hollow reared up and tried to crush the snake's skull, but it moved too quickly.

"Renji," Chad said abruptly. "Distract it and wrap your zanpakuto around it, then I can use La Muerte on it."

"I like your style, Chad," Renji replied, grinning."Let's go!"

As they put their plan into motion, Ichigo and Rukia were having a much tougher time. The hollow they had chosen to fight was far from weak, utilising not only a great deal of strength but also the speed, stamina and focus of a master swordsman, making it a formidable opponent. It's long, arm-mounted blades thrust towards Rukia's chest, but she used her resonating zanpakuto to parry the first quickly while Ichigo slashed with Zangetsu, deflecting the second from her. The creature used a Sonido to avoid the counter-attack Ichigo had lunged with, getting behind and firing a Cero at the Captain. He cut downwards, severing the beam of red which engulfed the area around his body and keeping himself alive, then he rushed forwards, the Cero finished, and rose his weapon to cut through the beast's mask, but it launched a projectile of reiatsu with so much speed it took Ichigo by surprise and sent him hurtling backwards, Zangetsu falling from his hand in the process.

"Ichigo!" Rukia screamed out, but the creature was on her again.

She lashed out with a stab as the twin-bladed attack the hollow had planned missed, piercing the beast's hierro and drenching the sand and her crystalline blade in the murky black torrent which was its blood. Satisfied she had damaged it significantly, Rukia went to pull her blade from the body and slice through its mask, but she found that the wound had sealed around her weapon and it refused to be removed. The punch caught her off-guard and knocked her away, the sword out of her grip and lodged in the beast still. She coughed, spitting out the scarlet venom in her throat, and backed away as the hollow reared up and went to bring its blade down upon her, but something flew just passed her head and struck the beast in the chest, knocking it away. Rukia turned to see Ichigo, his resonating sword slung onto his shoulder.

"You ok, Rukia?" he asked calmly.

"Baka!" she barked angrilly. "What the hell were you doing firing that thing so close to me, Strawberry?"

"It's called saving your butt, midget! Maybe if you hadn't lost your sword I wouldn't have had to do that!"

"I did NOT lose it! It's in that hollow's body. AND DON'T CALL ME MIDGET!"

Kai rolled his eyes as the two argued.

"They can never be quiet, can they?" he wondered aloud, jumping up to dodge the hollow's attack and punching it in the face.

The creature whimpered and went to attack again, but Kai was using the power of the Madness Wavelength all too well for it to stop him with its claws. He swung his blade in three quick arcs and summoned three Madness Waves; the first was dodged, the second cleaved the beast's right arm off at the elbow and the third took it by surprise, the left wing turning to liquid as it tore through. Seizing the opportunity to take it out, Kai threw his sword out to his right and swung it in a massive arc. The hollow, as if sensing the impending attack, leapt backwards and flew higher, but Kai never launched the vast Madness Wave. Instead, he grabbed his sword and leapt into it, the blade becoming a dark red pulsing colour inside the flames and electricity around it. Kai lunged upwards, focussing his sights on the hollow and kicking it downwards, another unexpected strike, before he raised his blade and pointed it at the creature as it plummeted.

"Dragon's Madness," he murmured, the blade's colour returning as a ball of red enshrouded in black and red flames appeared at the tip. With a single movement of his muscles, the simple tightening of his grip, the ball exploded downwards in a beam with tore downwards and vaporised the falling body. The beam slowly reduced in size until all that remained was a single strand of red lightning which soon fizzled out to reveal that the creature was indeed dead. "Tough luck, hollow. You were no match for me."

Meanwhile, the large creature Uryu had been fighting had halted its attack, seemingly exhausted by the massive output of projectiles it had summoned, and the archer took the opportunity to regain his focus and get a plan forged in his head. The sheer number of projectiles the creature could produce at once meant the Quincy was far outmatched, but he was not beaten yet.

_I can't get up close to cut it with my Seele Schneider,_ he thought quickly. _Perhaps using Sprenger will sub due it so that I can-_

An explosion tore through the air and distracted the hulking creature, giving Uryu the perfect moment to unleash the trap. He fired the special arrows into their places, but the third barely missed the hollow and it turned, firing another barrage of projectiles as he loaded the fourth into his bow. Cursing, Uryu almost had to dodge, when something stabbed through the ground before him, a a huge pulse of reiatsu forming a makeshift shield, enraging the beast when it could not force the energy to yield. Following the chain, the hollow opened fired with all of its pores at once on Kai, but he pulled the mighty sword back and sustained the Chaos Wave around the no longer resonating form of Supernova to defend himself as he leapt this way and that.

"Hey, Ishida!" Kai yelled. "Hurry up and do what you're doing while I've got the bastard distracted!"

Nodding, Uryu fired the fourth and prepared to stab the fifth bladed arrow into the ground.

"Get him to move left a little, Friel!" he ordered, to which Kai saluted with two left fingers and the Neo-Vizard released the stored up Chaos Wave, using it as coved to force the creature into the centre of the pentagram. He leapt upwards and out of the way just in time as Uryu completed the star and added the contents of a ginto to the nearest blade. "Sprenger!"

The pentagram exploded upwards, tearing apart the futilely struggling hollow. To ensure it was dead, Kai had launched a Chaos Wave through its body, destroying it fully and beyond recovery. He grinned.

"Nice work... For a Quincy." The two chuckled a little at Kai's playful comment, when a sullen roar caught their attention.

The three headed beast had fallen, its body badly scratched up and two head lopped off altogether. The three Espada-class arrancar had torn it apart with little trouble or even having to release their zanpakuto. Around the same time, Renji and Chad had totalled their opponent with little more trouble, their plan successful. The Meisters too had managed to sever the creature's head through use of repeated blasts from Kid making a cover for Maka's strikes. The only one that remained was the one Ichigo and Rukia were fighting, but it was fighting relentlessly.

Rukia had to hold back, her weapon still firmly lodged inside their opponent's abdomen, so Ichigo had had to use his Resonance form to fight on par with the beast. He had successfully sliced through the upper arm of its left arm with the use of a Getsuga, cauterising the wound and stopping any reconstruction through the appendage where the arm was missing, but it had used the excess blood to increase its right blade, making it harder in some respects. The Squad 5 Captain roared as he clashed with the creature and locked blades with it, trying a point-blank Getsuga, but the attack did little but stun the opponent. He saw an opportunity to grab the sword hilt which protruded the hollow's stomach and was amazed when it reacted to his touch. The hollow shrieked as the icy sword blackened slightly under Ichigo's control. He smirked and pierced the hollow's flesh with his own blade, still gripping Sode no Shirayuki, before he let out a growling roar as he focussed his immense reiatsu into both swords at once. The resulting explosion covered Ichigo and the swords in black blood, much to his distaste, but at least the hollows were killed. He handed Rukia her sword and she grimaced at it.

"Gross," she muttered, shaking the muck from the weapon. Ichigo grinned at her then turned to the others.

"Looks like that was all of them."

"We must be on the right track," Grimmjow purred, satisfied that this was proof. "Aizen wouldn't make these things and put them in pointless places, therefore they were guarding something."

"And I think I see what," Kai called, gesturing over a sand dune. Far away across the white ocean of sand stood a replica of Los Noches before it was damaged, but it was a darker colour than before. Kai pointed his blade at the domed palace. "That's where he is, I can feel it."

"No sense wasting time, then," Ichigo grinned. "Let's get this over with!"

The group ran towards the huge palace, unaware of the danger that lurked beneath their feet as they pounded across the desert.

* * *

_Alright, so this one is both shorter than usual and also a bit rushed at the end, but big deal._

_The reasons for that are that it was getting long winded (its not exactly a big fight, so why make it like one?) and I actually had another story, which I posted a few days back, which took my mind off of this one, so I'm sorry for that._

_I'm also sorry to anyone who liked the Language of the Heart fanfic, but it's being redone as I type this and the old one is going to be scrapped._

_If that or my other story catches your attention, please be sure to read them, but for now please review this and thanks for reading so far._

_Next time, another assault on Los Noches!_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 10: The Bloody Palace Looms**

The group ran over the sand, their target in sight, but the hulking form of Los Noches worked as an illusion, making the dark palace seem close while also putting its size into perspective. Abruptly, Kai stopped his sprint and held up a hand.

"Is it me, or does it seem like something isn't right?" he asked suspiciously. "It's not like those hollows were natural, so I'd have expected Aizen to send out a welcoming committee for us."

"Ah, you're worrying too much, Soul Reaper," Grimmjow boasted. "Let's just get moving and-"

As Grimmjow pushed passed Kai, a spike of black liquid sprouted from the ground. Kai shoved the King of Hueco Mundo away as it grabbed at his ankles, getting himself caught by mistake. He yelled as the tentacle whipped him from side to side, his zanpakuto dropped in the frenzy.

"Rukia," Ichigo ordered, but his Lieutenant was already reacting.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" she commanded, tapping the tip of the bleached blade into the sand. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!"

The ripple of snow struck the tentacle and froze it solid. Being a low-level in terms of strength, the mass of black blood froze solid and didn't move again.

"Are you okay up there, Kai?" Maka asked, slightly concerned that the male was hanging upside-down by his ankle in the mass of frozen blood.

"Oh yeah, never better," Kai replied sarcastically. "Just hanging around. Hey, Ichigo, throw me my zanpakuto, would you?"

The Squad 5 Captain nodded and threw the blade to Kai, who grabbed it and slammed the blade through the ice in one fluid movement. He dropped down and sheathed his weapon, before turning to Grimmjow.

"I swear to God, if you do that again, I'll skin you," he growled. "Everyone pay attention, we don't want a repeat of that."

The group nodded and trudged on cautiously. It was not long before the sands began to shift. The dunes and white carpet of sand pulled together and massed into a huge hollow of sand and black blood, his mask only partially tainted by the venomous liquid.

"Who dares disturb the ground of Los Noches?" the creature demanded.

"I am the King of Hueco Mundo, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," Grimmjow announced. "I order you to stand down and let us pass, hollow."

"My name is Battikaroa, and I serve Lord Aizen alone. You dare to dispute my Lord's place as the true King of Hueco Mundo, tiny hollow?"

"True king, huh?" Grimmjow glowered. "He's not even a hollow! How can he be the rightful King of Hueco Mundo?"

"You talk too much, puny creature. Be gone! Or I shall have to kill you!"

"I like our odds." Kai muttered. "This guys a push-over."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Chad replied. "He is much stronger than he looks; it took both Renji and myself a lot of power to defeat him before."

"I've got just the thing," Grimmjow smirked, drawing his sword and slicing open his palm. He began charging a Cero from this hand, but instead of its usual crimson hue, it turned blue. "Gran Rey Cero!" The ball of blue spun sporadically as it launched, hurtling toward the hollow's mask and impacting it without a problem. Sand poured down Battikaroa's shoulders as his body collapsed. Grimmjow grinned and turned to his comrades. "Alright, let's-"

The sands stopped falling and ran in reverse, building back up again to form the massive hollow again. Before he could react, Grimmjow was sent flying into Ichigo, the punch catching him off-guard. The guardian sighed to itself.

"So be it, puny creatures," he growled. "Prepare to die."

The hollow clapped its huge hands and a series of black tendrils burst from the sand, creating a tidal wave of white grains at his command. The waves closed in, threatening to crush the group, but none of them seemed worried in the slightest.

"Let's do this," Ichigo nodded and Kai grinned.

"Been waiting for you to say that for a while now," he muttered, drawing his sword.

_**World of the Living, Sanctuary Base**_

"We can't let Ken know what we're doing," Ed muttered to his friends.

"Are you even certain we can trust him?" Alex asked, still sour over the way he had been shot at by Kai. "He seems unstable."

"Every time he's shot at you was because you fired on him or his friends," Jon reminded the Vizard. "We can trust him."

"Okay, we need to get the Teleport Discs if we're going to be of any help," Ed went on. "Ken has them kept in his chamber, so we'll have to wait until he gets a message from the Elders."

"I've got that covered," Jess said, turning the laptop she had at her fingertips around. "I'll send this in a few moments, make it seem that the status report is needed now. That should give us about ten minutes at maximum to grab the discs and control pads, then get out of here."

"I've already spoken with that shop keeper," Ella added. "He said that he is fine with us staying there and keeping the equipment safe for us, provided that we help out around the shop and with some research he's doing."

"Alright, so we're clear, yes?" Ed asked. Everyone nodded. "Good. Jon and I will wait outside his chambers. When he leaves, we'll grab the equipment. Jess, Alex, I want you to keep an eye out for him and warn us if he's coming back too soon. Ella, go to my chamber; there's a shoebox which is chained and padlocked which Kai asked for. Grab it and head through the window to avoid being seen. We'll all make our own way out otherwise. Jess, send that message when I give the signal. Let's go."

The five of them split up and went to their various positions, ready to abandon the Sanctuary when their work was done.

_**Hueco Mundo, Fake Los Noches**_

As the sand-waves hurtled in to enclose the group of people, Battikoroa let out a short laugh to himself, pleased that he was still able to crush a large group with little trouble. However, his joy did not last long as a barrage of shouts came from the shroud of sand.

"Bankai! Getsuga Tenshou!"

"Bankai!"

"Grind, Pantera!"

"Madness Wave!"

"Bankai! Hikotsu Taihou!"

"El Directo!"

"Soul Resonance!"

"Death Cannon!"

The curtain of sand abruptly exploded as the power of the prisoners tore through the air. The shroud parted as a red pulsing arc erupted from its centre, followed by a black and red one and a pair of orange blasts. They struck first, then a blue wall of energy joined by a red beam and a swarm of blue arrows hit the huge hollow. The creature pulled itself back together, but the group had already mobilised.

"Hey, you sandy bastard!" Kai shouted from above, getting Battokoroa's attention. "What do you get when you mix fire and sand?" The hollow roared, infuriated by the Vizard's cocky attitude, and threw a punch at him, but it missed. "Big mistake. Supernova Dragon, Dragons Breath!"

An inferno erupted from the fiery blade and consumed the sandy fist and forearm, turning it into a clear, fragile substance on the end of the limb. The beast went to swing the wounded arm at Kai, but he was gone and Chad had taken his place, striking the translucent, rough arm and shattering the glass appendage. The hollow screamed in a mixture of fury and agony as the melt end of his arm refused to rebuild at his command. It was only then that the abrupt feeling of numb coldness hit him.

Rukia lunged forwards, her winged form aiding her already nimble agility, and plunged the white blade into the hollow a bit below its hole, the sand freezing as the sword entered. She then kicked off of it, wrenching the blade free while Ichigo threw a Kuroi Getsuga at the icy patch, shattering it too. More pain and frenzied punches, but Battikoroa did not seem fazed by the injuries, and it soon became obvious why.

Kai plunged his blade into the creature's upper chest, hoping to destroy its head, but as he raked across he was struck by a tar-like substance which sprayed and oozed from the dark recesses of the hollow. He spluttered and gagged, falling away, spitting a few choice words and a spray of black blood which had infiltrated his mouth.

"That's disgusting," he spat once he reached the floor. The blood began to ooze over the frozen or melted areas and allowed a new arm of black, flowing liquid to be produced along with a series of black bandages in effect. "Shit, now what?"

"Take out his mask!" Grimmjow replied, hastily aiming his elbow, much to Kai's surprise, and launching five green, shard-like projectiles into the hollow's mask, but it just rebuilt itself as if it were a scratch.

"That won't work, jackass!" Kai barked.

"Kai!" Ichigo shouted over him. "Quit arguing and try to think of something!"

"How did you beat him last time?" Kai asked.

"I could try freezing him," Rukia offered. "It worked against Runuganga, and ice seems to effect the black blood too, after all."

"Alright, try your Hakuren or Tsukishiro on him," Ichigo replied. "Then we'll hit him all at once."

"Right!" Rukia dodged a blind slash as the hollow tried to stop her. "Someone give me some cover here!"

Renji moved his arm slightly and his Bankai responded by whipping forward and binding around the hollow, head reared above it as a red blast charged for a point-blank shot. The beam consumed the head and body, but the hollow just came back again, its anger now directed at Renji and Hihio Zabimaru. The snake took a direct hit from the black arm, which split into tendril-like appendages and began to tear the skull away from the snake, ceasing the flow of reishi and causing it to fall apart. Then it reared up to strike again.

"Some no mai, Tsukishiro!" Rukia yelled, a pillar of ice encasing the hollow except for its mask, which looked around angrily. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!"

With the body and head now completely frozen solid, Rukia nodded and the group lunged forwards, all striking the ice with a melee-type attack and cracking through its outer layer. Those with melee type moves pulled out, but Chad reeled back for another punch with his El Directo while Ichigo and Kai focussed their reiatsus into their sword, which were still buried to the guard in the frozen hollow, and Death the Kid primed both of his weapons to fire again.

"Now!" Ichigo ordered, hollowfying to utilise all his strength. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

"Madness Wave!" a hollwfied Kai shouted.

The four attacks did nothing for a moment, then the tremors started and the ice all over began to crack, light shining through the cracks, before the figure exploded, the head flying upwards. As it was about to come down, Uryu loosed an arrow, one of his Seele Schneider, and destroyed the remnant of the hollow. The body crumbled away in ruin as the victors regrouped.

"Alright," Ichigo said, removing his mask. "Now we get to Los Noches itself.

Everyone nodded and set off, Kai vouching to take to the air to keep an eye out for any more ambushing hollows.

_**World of the Living, Sanctuary Base**_

Ed and Jon crouched outside the large doors to their commander's chamber. Ed depressed a button on his watch and whispered into it.

"Jess, we're ready now," he said. "Send it."

"Its done," came the reply. "Alex and I are in position, we'll let you know when he moves again."

Sure enough, the man stepped out, the heavy doors swinging shut behind him, the pistol at his side as always.

"I swear I've already done this," Ken muttered as he walked down the corridor. "Must've been an error or something..."

When he had gone, Jon and Ed slipped inside, easing the door closed to ensure it did not make too much noise. Once inside, Jon shook his head.

"Man, that guy is completely nuts," he murmured. "Talking to himself; that's the first sign of madness, you know?"

"Yeah, and it's one you show a lot," Ed replied, opening Ken's desk and searching it. "Now shut up about Ken and help me look for those damned Teleport Discs."

The two began to search the cabinets and the drawers in Ken's chambers, but it was far from tidy so would take a while, and they knew they would need to be fast to escape without being seen. Suddenly, Ella's voice crackled into Ed's ears.

"Ed, I've got the box and I'm coming through the window now. Have you found the discs?"

"Not yet," Ed replied. "Bastard's in need of a sort out in here."

"Well, you'd better hurry," Ella replied. "I remember he had them stored in the secure room in his chambers."

"Oh, now you tell us!" Jon said, but Ed clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Jesus, Jon, not so loud!" Ed hissed. "Come on, let's just get the damned things and get out of here." The pair approached the sealed room, the door locked and sealed. "Great, where's a lock-pick when you need it?"

"Good thing I brought my 'lock-pick' then," Jon replied, drawing his sword. "Ed, stand back. Howl madly at the black abyss, Moonlit Howler!"

The warhammer took shape in Jon's hands and he brought it crashing through the metal door after a few swings. The secure room was also a mess and neither the discs not the control pads could be easily seen without sifting through the junk first.

Meanwhile, in the communication chamber, Ken had managed to get the connection established despite Jess' attempts to block the frequency and jam it. He brought up a link to the Elders, and the face of an elderly looking man scowled from the screen and at Ken.

"What is it, Commander Smith?" the man growled.

"Acting Chief Commander Romoh," Ken bowed in respect for the man, then went on. "It seems that my previous status report was not received, so I wanted to-"

"Not received? Who told you that, Commander?"

"I was sent a message a short while ago. Was the message wrong?"

"Not only is that information wrong, as I documented the report myself and checked it a few days ago, but we have not sent such a message to you, or any communiques since the last report." The man's tone and face showed he was not lying, though Ken would have found it hard to tell if he were anyway. It was about then that Ken realised what was going on.

"Chief Commander, I must go now."

He turned off the feed and terminated the machine itself, drawing his pistol. As the man stormed off to his chambers, Jess frantically warned the others.

"Ed, Jon, he's figured out what we're doing," she said. "And he's heading your way at a running pace; you've got about two minutes.

"Shit, we still don't have the Teleport Discs or the control pads!" Ed hissed, rummaging through the wreckage that was the storage rooms contents.

"Leave it to me," Jon replied, his zanpakuto still released in its Shikai. "I'll put up an obstacle for him."

Before Ed could protest, Jon had disappeared into the corridors. He sighed to himself.

"Crazy bastard," he murmured, turning to his watch again. "Everyone, report in, where are you?"

"This is Alex, I'm heading for the main exit."

"Jess reporting, I'm outside the base now."

"Jon here, caving in the corridor." The communication was followed by an abrupt rumbling noise as the walls and ceiling collapsed under his swing. The vibrations revealed the prize which Ed was looked for and he began to grab the six discs in their compacted forms, then he got the pads.

"Ok, I've got the goods," Ed said. "Anyone not already, head out of here. Ella, where are you?"

"Sorry, I'm a bit caught," she replied. "The window took longer to unlock than I thought and now I can't get myself through; I think my scabbard's hooked on the frame."

"Alright, get out of there quickly," Ed replied as Jon arrived. He threw three pads at him and led the way out. "We're on our way out now, we'll rendezvous at the shop."

They ran through the corridors as Ken started to shoot at the rubble, his pistol capable of tearing through the obstacle with little trouble. After a while, Ed and Jon reached their chambers and headed into Ed's, where they found Ella's legs dangling from the window as she squeezed the rest of the way out and, before too long, the group were out and running for the Urahara Shop, their reiatsus masked as they went.

By the time that he got through, Ken found only the ruined door and the mess of his office as proof that the group of teenagers had ever been there.

_**Hueco Mundo, Fake Los Noches**_

The group stopped before a large, gaping hole in the wall around Los Noches, the dust and debris still falling. Ichigo turned to Kai as he removed his mask.

"What the hell happened?" he asked. Kai shrugged nonchalantly.

"I figured we'd need a way in," he replied. "So I used my Cero to make one; that way it seems more like a hollow did it."

"Oh, yeah, a ridiculously strong hollow just happened to fire a Cero at the wall and blow it open," Grimmjow scoffed. "We're not that instinctual; we can control a Cero."

"Whatever, it worked, didn't it?" Kai growled. "Point is, let's get moving and finish Aizen off once and for all."

The group agreed and hurried into the corridor beyond the hole which Kai had made, sprinting down while also keeping their eyes open for any signs of an attack. Before too long, they emerged in a large room of dark marble-like material with a very high ceiling. The doorway opposite them was the only way forward, but someone was walking from the opening. His uniform was white, much like Grimmjow's, but it was torn a little less and covered most of his body except for his neck, hands and an area of his chest. His black hair was partially blocked out by his mask fragment, a helmet-like structure over the left side with a single horn protruding from it, and contrasted with his green eyes, which matched the markings under his eyes as though tears had painted them. The arrancar stopped before the group and they took up a defensive position against him.

"So, he revived you already, huh?" Grimmjow growled, his Resurrecion still in full sight. "Ulquiorra."

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," the man said, his face still displaying a look of sheer disinterest. "It seems you survived your encounter with Ichigo Kurosaki, and now you are working with him. How tragic that you have turned to such trash for your allies."

"Who are you calling trash, Ulquiorra?" Ichigo asked. "I defeated you before, and I'll do it again!"

"Kurosaki, I did not see you there." His voice was still indifferent. "What brings you here this time? I have not kidnapped your friend this time."

"We're here to-"

"Wait a minute, what?" Kai asked, confused.

"Kai, don't do it," Rukia warned.

"I want you to explain, arrancar," Kai continued regardless. "What did you mean?"

"You don't want to know, Kai, you really don't," Ichigo said, trying to deter his friend from this topic, but he stood his ground stubbornly and stepped forwards so that he was in front of the group.

"I might not want to, Ichigo," he replied firmly. "But I _have_ to know what he means. Now explain, arrancar."

"My name is Ulquiorra Schifer," the arrancar said calmly, parting his coat to reveal the tattooed number on his left-side chest. "I am the Cero Espada of Lord Aizen's arrancar. And I am the reason that Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends went to Hueco Mundo in the Winter War."

"What do you mean?" Kai was becoming frustrated now. "That makes no sense; Ichigo and the others went to save Orihime."

"Yes, and I," Ulquiorra's piercing gaze never faltered as he spoke. "Am the one who kidnapped Orihime Inoue in the Precipice World. I am the reason that she was considered a traitor by the Soul Society. Why should a matter from the past be such a problem?"

"You... You kidnapped her?" Kai's gaze was on the floor, but his reiatsu was dangerously sparked and laced with venom as he spoke. "Well, Cero Espada, I am Kai Friel, and I am Orihime Inoue's husband."

* * *

_Yes! Another one bites the dust!_

_I had some fun playing around with some ideas for this next chapter while I was away last week, so I'm going to write that up later._

_Before I go, I'd like to thank everyone for all their favourite stories/story alerts/author alerts on my latest work; my inbox has been quite busy this last week with the release of 'Darkest Side of Me' and 'Language of the Heart: Overhauled', so thanks again!_

_Also, be sure to review any of them or read them if you haven't; I'd really appreciate it._

_'Till next time, I'm going to work on Darkest Side of Me now!_

_Sayonara!_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 11: Rage Release**

Silence fell as Kai glared at Ulquiorra, who stared back with little interest in his gaze, and the intense reiatsu he possessed began to sharpen like a knifes edge. Maka winced under the intensity of his anger, her Soul Perception making more more susceptible to such an overpowering rage. Soul could feel it too, and he felt concerned for his Meister's well-being, his ghostly reflection appearing in the blade of his weapon state.

"Are you ok, Maka?" he asked, noticing the fearful edge in his green eyes. The girl looked at him, put on a brave face and nodded.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's just hard to believe that anyone can have such a strong killing instinct and bloodlust in his soul yet still be as calm as Kai was." She risked a smiled to Soul for reassurance and he returned it with his sharp toothed grin.

"It's ok, we'll get through this in no time," he said confidently, but he was doubtful of his own confidence.

"Ichigo," Kai said finally, seething with rage. "Take the rest of the group and get to Aizen before it's too late. I'll deal with this guy."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ichigo replied. "He is undoubtedly a powerful opponent, and his rank is well-suited."

"I have to do this," Kai replied. "I have to show this bastard what it is like to be torn apart for your mistakes."

Without warning, Kai had disappeared from sight and grabbed Ulquiorra by the throat, before then springing upwards towards the ceiling, throwing the Espada through it first and following him swiftly. As the rubble settled, the group exchanged looks of anxiousness.

"He's crazy," Grimmjow said finally. "Ulquiorra doesn't stop for any reason and he's just set himself up to fight him alone?"

"I did the same," Ichigo replied. "But I technically died in the process. He'd better be ready to give it his all, else he'll follow the same path. Anyway, let's go!"

The group ran forwards towards the doorway, drawing ever closer to Aizen.

Meanwhile, atop the dome of the fake Los Noches, Ulquiorra stood up and dusted himself off, a stray piece of rubble falling from his uniform which now looked tarnished and battle-scarred in places. He eyed the man who stood before him, the huge zanpakuto in his hand and his dark eyes glaring intently at the Espada.

"You realise that you have made releasing my zanpakuto possible now, right?" Ulquiorra growled.

"You seem to underestimate how far I can go," Kai responded, disappearing for an instant. He swung the blade in an arc towards Ulquiorra's head, but the Espada caught the blade with one hand, though he abruptly looked at his palm as Kai's swing completed unhindered. To his amazement, the blade had cut his hand open. "Seems to me that your hierro is nowhere near what I thought it would be."

"I see," the Espada responded, drawing his own zanpakuto. "If you are so intent on dying, I suppose that it is my duty to kill you; especially since you are now between me and my duty to defend Los Noches from intrusions."

The Arrancar lunged with great speed and power, striking Kai's blade, but they glanced off of one another, the raw intensity of Kai's rage ebbing from the very core of his being. Kai kicked at Ulquiorra's chest, but the Espada used his Sonido to appear behind him and rapidly thrust at the man, but the large blade acted as a shield and blocked the worst of the attacks. One last slashing movement swooped in towards Kai's side, but a burst of red energy deflected it and allowed Kai the opening he needed to attack again, this time using a point-blank Chaos Wave. The attack created a smokescreen and Kai pulled back to a suitable distance to assess the damage.

"**Kai,**" Supernova said in his head. "**Calm yourself; fighting all out like this when he is not released is foolish and reckless. Be patient and use your reiatsu accordingly.**"

"I would, Supernova," he replied. "But this guy over-stepped the boundary, and now I have to skin him."

"**But this is-**"

"_Hey, Dragon,_" Rertyan pitched in. "_This may be hard to understand, since I took his negative feelings, when we split, but I know what he means. By the way, let me loose on this bastard; I'll be sure to rearrange his face for you!_"

Supernova sighed exasperatedly.

"**I shall never understand you, Rertyan,**" he shook his head.

The shroud parted to reveal Ulquiorra stood there with a few scrapes and minor burns along with intense damage to the left side of his jacket, otherwise there were no signs of the attack ever striking him. Kai took a step back defensively and brought the blade up to guard with both hands on the grip tightly. The Espada stepped forward from the wreckage on the domed roof, his eyes fixated on Kai.

"Impressive," he mused though his tone was without emotion as usual. "Your attack appears to be much stronger than I expected for a Shikai. However, you do not have the power to destroy me with only that power. And since you are wasting my time out here, I shall have to finish this quickly and show you the true meaning of fear." He raised his scarred sword and aimed it at Kai, the blade glowing a sickly green. "Enclose, Murcielago."

The energy built up inside the zanpakuto shot upwards in a pillar of green and black before raining down upon the dome and the two combatants. Kai focussed and released his Bankai, revealing Ulquiorra's Resurreccion; the bat-like form sporting a completed helmet-like mask fragment. He glared down at Kai, but the male stood his ground and extended his skeletal wings threateningly.

"So, that is your Bankai?" Ulquiorra growled. "It is much like your Shikai; it lacks any merit and I guarantee it is more for show."

"Oh really?" Kai spat, rearing the whip backwards. "Let's test your theory, bat-brain!"

The Neo-Vizard jumped upwards, the power exerted cracking the dome, and took to the air, extending his wings and swooping in. Ulquiorra opened his hand and a long shaft of green energy appeared in his palm, lingering briefly before he threw the spear at Kai, but the Vizard reacted quickly, binding the shaft in the whip and sending it far off course. Another Luz de la Luna was thrust his way, but he evaded the lunge and struck Ulquiorra with the reiatsu whip, but the sharp weapon glanced off of his hierro and the bat-wing struck him in the face, knocking him aside.

"Your efforts are futile, Soul Reaper," Ulquiorra said firmly, pointing to the man with his left index finger, a black and green reiatsu building at the tip. "Cero Oscuras."

The beam hurtled towards Kai, consuming the light as it did, but he readied himself, drawing the three-horned mask into place over his face, then flipped around and flew towards the dark Cero. As it neared, he raised his own left hand and focussed, a black and red sphere building up in his palm. Before Ulquiorra knew what happened, the beam exploded, but from the thick smoke came a large red arc of reiatsu with a distinct black edge to it. The Chaos Wave came close to his chest, but he was fast and avoided the damaging blow. When the smoke cleared and he saw Kai's face, his eyes opened slightly further.

"Interesting," he mused, noticing the mask and the now fused blade on Kai's arm. "Your control over that weapon is impressive, and that mask is a surprise to me, I must admit. But you do not understand the true power of my zanpakuto. You see, I can go passed this state; I am the only Espada ever to achieve a second release."

"Well, you bastard, you've got another surprise coming your way," Kai announced, his reiatsu rising as he drew a device from his chest. "Because this is not my most powerful form. Enigma Activate! Cypher Unlock!" The crystalline display turned a deep red and burst from the device, swirling around Kai and shrouding him in a blue energy. "Extreme Release!"

The two combatants became shrouded in their own respective reiatsus, both emitting such power that the ceiling started to buckle in places beneath them.

_**Los Noches Corridors**_

Maka leapt forwards and plunged Soul's blade through the weak creature which stood in the group's way. Death the Kid, Chad, Celest and Nel had broken off from the rest of them to hold off the forces chasing them, leaving Grimmjow, Ichigo, Rukia, Uryu and Maka to head on alone. The group stopped in another junction in the corridors.

"Oh, great, not another one," Ichigo sighed. "Hey, Grimmjow, don't you know where to go? You were in the original Los Noches before we destroyed it after all."

"Tch, so what?" the Hollow King growled. "This one is nothing like the original; everything's messed up."

"Oh, great." The ceiling started rumbling and shaking as a great deal of reiatsu poured over the dome. A large section of the upper level collapsed and started to fall towards the group, but they saw it coming. "Move!"

Ichigo hurled himself into Rukia as she watched the rubble fall, knocking both to the left corridor with Maka while Uryu and Grimmjow jumped to the right corridor just as the area fell into the centre, blocking the way back. Ichigo stood up, pulling Rukia up with him, and turned to the wall of rubble.

"Anyone hurt?" he asked.

"Well, I've been better," Soul responded. "But we seem to be fine."

The reiatsu above the dome subsided to a point where Maka could easily move around again.

"What incredible power," she murmured, looking up. "What could possibly do that?"

"Kai and Ulquiorra," Ichigo replied. "They must have taken up their strongest releases to do that much damage." He turned to the fallen rubble. "Uryu, Grimmjow, get to Aizen your own way; we'll make our own way there. And be careful!"

"Got it!" Grimmjow announced and the sound of their running footsteps died away soon after.

"Alright, let's get moving, and watch your step; we don't want to get injured now."

The group hurried forwards, led by the Squad 5 Captain, but the reiatsu burst still troubled Maka as they went.

_**Above the Dome**_

The shrouds of reiatsu dispersed to reveal Ulquiorra in his demon-like Resurreccion Segunda Etapa, the fearsome, dense reiatsu still lingering around his unarmed form. At the same time, Kai's dragon-styled armour and masked face glared at Ulquiorra, his red irises boring metaphoric holes through him.

"So, this is your strongest state?" the green and yellow eyed Espada asked. Kai nodded.

"Yeah, this is my most powerful form," he replied. "My body melds with that of my zanpakuto and my hollow, forming the ultimate power by putting every ounce of power at my disposal. It's called Dark Nova Dragon."

"Another presumptuous name," the Espada noted. "I doubt that you can hold my power back in a conflict."

Before Kai could do anything, Ulquiorra had vanished and thrown a green javelin his way, but the attack missed as Kai took to the air again. He watched as the spear exploded in a huge pillar of reiatsu, the shockwave tearing apart three columns on the roof in the process. Kai was taken aback by this huge amount of power in a single attack, but he remembered Uryu mentioning the dvastation cause by the Espada's Lanza Del Relampago, and quickly worked out that this must have been that attack. Before Ulquiorra could aim on Kai again, he vanished from sight and a black blade drove into his left shoulder, but it barely pierced the tough hierro, leaving a trickle of black blood in the pale flesh. Kai's eyes widened again.

"Black blood," he commented. "So you've been merged with it too?"

"That's right, human," Ulquiorra responded. "You will never defeat me like that." Another Lanza del Relampago neared Kai as Ulquiorra spoke. "I have been given more defensive abilities by Lord Aizen to ensure that you and your friends are destroyed."

As the green instrument neared him, Kai had an insane idea come to mind; he had his weapon melt into reshi again, stepped to the left and, as the green shaft passed under his open palm, closed his fingers tightly around it. There was a jolt as the momentum was halted, followed by a large amount of pain tearing over his arm as the Lance of Lightning destabilised and tore at him with its own electric reshi. The armour helped, and Kai knew that without it his arm would have been torn to shreds, but the main thing which was stopping him from becoming a large blood stain on the domed roof was his own electric reiatsu. He gritted his teeth and focussed his attack into his right hand, making the lance restabilise itself as the two reiatsus combated one another, a flurry of sparks and stray bolts of lightning breaking free of the shaft and striking Kai in the face, cleaving the right side of his mask off in chunks with the exception of his lower jaw as the red and green energies battled one another.

And then the pain subsided. Looking at his hand, Kai noticed the fact that the spear was now stable and sported a deep crimson hue. He breathed a sigh, knowing that he could not do that again with vaporising himself into a cloud of bloodied ashes, then glared at Ulquiorra.

"This is how you should use this thing," he growled, disappearing from sight in a flash of Shunpo.

When Ulquiorra spotted Kai again, he had reappeared behind the Espada and thrown the lance into the floor, vanishing once more as it hit and exploded.

_**Los Noches Corridors**_

Ichigo and Rukia ran down the corridors with Maka close behind, the orange-haired Soul Reaper becoming more annoyed with each moment. Being less used to running for inexplicable time spans, Maka was a few feet behind as they reached another 'T' junction in the corridors.

"I think we're going the wrong way, Ichigo," she heard Rukia say as they went left.

"No we're not!" he snapped, but a few moments later he turned back and came charging back towards the right. "We're going the wrong damned way!"

Maka sighed, shaking her head as she ran after them, but the ceiling gave again, this time showing a pouring pillar of red energy in the corridor. The dense reiatsu made Maka stop, her muscles shaking with exertion as she tried to stay standing.

"Wha- What the hell is that?" she asked. Ichigo stared at it.

"Lanza del Relampago... in Kai's reiatsu?" he questioned. "How did he turn that against Ulquiorra?"

"He's badly hurt from it," Rukia confirmed. "He obviously is using Dark Nova Dragon, else he would have been destroyed for sure."

"Whatever the case, he's holding him off," Ichigo said firmly. "Let's-"

The reiatsu in the air changed, a heavy and alien yet familiar pressure building over them as if an ocean had submerged the sky. Maka, being less used to such intense reiatsu, fell to her knees, clutching Soul in her hands as she tried to stay upright, and even Rukia, an experienced fighter when it came to dense reiatsu, struggled to stay standing under the immense strength of the events unfolding above their heads. Ichigo just stared, unaffected due to his own massive reiatsu working as a dampener against the strong pressure.

"What the hell is he doing out there?" he questioned.

"Ichigo," Rukia struggled to her feet. "We have to worry about getting to Aizen; Kai can handle himself out there."

"Right," Ichigo nodded, turning to the now clear corridor as the energy column subsided. He pulled Maka to her feet and they ran through the corridor again. "I think I can feel his reiatsu up ahead!"

* * *

_Ok, shorter than usual, but oh well._

_I'm pleased to announce that I have finally received a review on the new Language of the Heart, which made me happy._

_Anyway, if you want to know what the intense pressure at the end was, or how the final fight with Aizen shall go, there's only one way to find out;_

_READ, REVIEW AND KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED!_

_Anyway, I'm off ._

_Goodbye for now!_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

_**A/N**: Really sorry this has taken so long to do; I've been busy of late. Also, I'd like to thank everyone for their support either on this story, my finished Bleach Fanfics or my latest works, including the latest Drabble I've written. If you want to read them because you've yet to do so, I'll leave the links at the end._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 12: Evolution of the Hollow**

Kai stared at the mass of smoke which billowed from the epicentre of his attack. Controlling such an unstable weapon had taken its toll on his body, and he could no longer build up the reiatsu needed to release his ultimate attack. He knew that without it, if the Lanza del Relampago had failed, he would not be able to defeat Ulquiorra. The Cero Espada's wings came into sight, extending from the wreckage of the dome, and Kai felt his heart sink.

"Shit," he murmured. "I don't have enough power left to use the Devastating Strike."

"_Why should that be a problem, King?_" Rertyan's voice filled his head. Kai scoffed.

"My strongest attack can't be used so I can't defeat this guy, genius," he replied.

"_You say that as if you don't know what I know._"

"Rertyan, it works one-way; you know what I know, not the other way around!"

"_Oh, right. Anyway, I think I have a way around it,_" Kai could almost hear the smirk Rertyan would have just then. "_Our own Resurreccion._" Kai blinked, surprised by this, but Rertyan went on. "_Switch with me, and I think I can use my Resurreccion against him. If I'm right, it should also have that Madness what-cha-ma-call-it, so the Black Blood would be negated; we could fight at level-pegging._"

"Alright, I guess I've got no choice anyway," Kai sighed, his mask lowering to its first form while his zanpakuto sealed. "Are you sure this will work?"

"_Hell no._"

"Good enough for me." Kai grinned, placing his hand on his forehead and focussing. "Switch!"

And then everything went black for the Vizard Captain.

_**Los Noches Corridors**_

Grimmjow ducked under another bolt of blue energy as the Quincy behind him took out another hollow in their path.

"Goddammit, warn me in future!" the hollow king barked angrilly.

"I warned you when we started that if you move into my shot," Uryu replied coldly. "Then you might get caught by my arrow. It helps if you actually listen to what I tell you, Jaegerjaquez."

Grimmjow growled, but a familiar dark energy washed over them like a sea above the sky, the thick density of the reiatsu worse than any that he had encountered before. Uryu too was struggling to comprehend this heavy reiatsu, but he had come across it once before; the time that Ichigo's hollow went out of control.

"This is Ulquiorra's release," he informed Grimmjow, but he shook his head.

"It's too dense for it to be his Resurreccion," he replied adamantly. "I've seen his release, and it's not this heavy. This is like a great sorrow has passed over the world in the form of reiatsu. It _is_ Ulquiorra, but it's not his Resurreccion; this must be his Segunda release."

Uryu blinked.

"Arrancars can release twice too?" he said, dumbfounded.

"Of course, but it's rarer than a Soul Reaper's Bankai; only two are known to have one in the history of Hueco Mundo." Grimmjow turned before Uryu could respond. "I can feel Aizen nearby. Come on, Quincy!"

_**Above the Dome**_

Ulquiorra stepped out of the shroud of smoke, his torso scorched with a large cut into the left side abdomen, his left arm lost from the middle of the upper arm and his right wing torn so that it was barely intact. His right cheek was also lacerated and the horn had been broken to leave a sharp, needle-like sliver of what it once was. He looked at the male before him, ready to attack again, when he noticed something... unusual about him.

Kai's mask was still in place, but the exposed right side revealed his flesh as the colour began to leak away as if it were fresh paints caught in a bout of rain. His hair and robes also began to fade into a negative form of itself until the being stood before the Espada looked up. His eyes were black with a piercing red iris, but his skin, robes and hair were all pristine white. The blood red trim had parted for a dark blue, giving him a look as if he were wearing an Espada's uniform, not a Soul Reaper's. The sword had changed too, the blade now white with a black cutting edge, a blue grip jutting from the dark grey dragon head with its blue-white eyes glaring and a silver coin on the end of the black chain, a blue light shinning from it. Ulquiorra glared at the male as his mask began to melt away in places.

"What is that form?" he asked, still disinterested in tone. "I doubt that this is a Soul Reaper form, so tell me how you have done this, Friel."

The man scoffed and let out a two-toned chuckle.

"Friel?" he questioned, his mask now solid and covering his left forehead, eye and cheek, a row of sharp teeth over his mouth on the left side while the stump of a curved horn jutted from over his ear. "You must have me mistaken, Espada. I am not Kai Friel."

"Then do me the courtesy of telling me your name," Ulquiorra was growing impatient, but his instant regeneration was finally kicking in and his lost limb started to rebuild at high speed.

"My name is Rertyan," the man replied, grinning an insane grin. "I am Kai's inner hollow. And I'm going to show you my power." He raised the sword high into the air, his grin gone for a serious, glaring look. Red and black reiatsu built around the weapon with a blue tinge leaking in as the power built up. A powerful wind whipped up around them as Supernova crackled with the reiatsu pooled within it. "Rise from the ashes of sin, and lash out, Dragon-Eyed Demon!"

The blade swung downwards, conjuring an arc of reiatsu which spread around Rertyan like a cocoon. Ulquiorra blinked as he replayed the release mentally.

_A different name,_ he thought. _And a different release command? What the hell is this;that should not be possible!_

The musings were cut short as the veil of light parted to reveal Rertyan. The robes and Shihaksho were torn to shreds, but the Haori had vanished altogether. Chalk-white skin clashed with the dark shoulder plates, which had three spikes jutting from each, and the chains which had formed a belt around his waist, hanging from the Bankai form of the dragons head from Supernova Dragon and snaked up his left arm from his shoulder to the shackle on his wrist. A hole opened in the middle of his chest, an intricate red pattern surrounding it; a pair of snaking marks beneath, three extending upwards, another on each side in the same fashion and three lines merging at one point on either side too. The mask fragment had changed; it was like Rertyan's second mask, but the jaws were gone so that the mask covered the sides and top of the head, along with the eyes and nose. The three middle horns had changed to look like the original three; a larger middle one with a curved one on each side, and the rams horns had the same pattern as the original outer horns. The forehead had four lines meeting at the piece covering the nose, each extending between a pair of horns, and in between the two central lines was a triple triangle of red forming a larger triangle with a gap in the middle. Two lines curved over his cheeks, stopping short of the corners of his mouth. Rertyan flexed his black-clawed fingers and toes, getting used to the feeling of them, as a reptilian tail uncurled behind him and a pair of huge, demon-like red wings with a curved black spike at the top.

"This is new," he grinned to himself as he felt his sword take shape; a huge black blade with a white edge, a red grip and a cutlass hand guard sporting five curved blades and a sixth, straight blade at the hilt, all in the same style as the main blade. "But I think I like this."

"So," Ulquiorra mused aloud, his eyes fixed on Rertyan with a look of wonder as he could not feel his reiatsu. "This is your release, lowly hollow. This flamboyant ruse of a Resurreccion is your technique, the one you believe will stop me? You are as arrogant and foolish as your master."

Before Ulquiorra had even finished the sentence, he felt a burst of pain in his stomach. Looking down, he saw that a large wound had been cut into him, and that Rertyan had gone.

"That's my partner, not master," he corrected gruffly. "I'm surprised you can't see this here-" He tapped a clawed digit against his left shoulder plate. "-seeing as how you would not have been so foolish if you had."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened as the reiatsu Rertyan gave off rose to his awareness level and higher. There, tattooed in the same style as all the others that Espada possessed, was a large, black '0'.

_Impossible, _Ulquiorra thought. _How can a Soul Reaper possess a hollow with so much power? And those chains... It's like a tale I heard once. Just who the hell is this?_

"You trash," Ulquiorra growled. "I will finish you entirely." He generated another lance of green light and threw it, but even as his arm moved, Rertyan was gone.

Ulquiorra blinked, amazed by such speed, but recovered quickly as the sword swung in towards his leg. Dodging swiftly, Ulquiorra took aim with his Cero Oscuras and fired the dark beam, but Rertyan fired his own red, black and blue Cero and speared through it, almost catching Ulquiorra in the chest as it tore the Cero apart, but the Espada used a sonido to escape the attack. He stared at Rertyan in surprise.

"A Cero strong enough to not only match a Cero Oscuras, but capable of destroying it?" he questioned. "No such power should exist."

"You're right there," Rertyan replied, unfurling his wings; he had yet to use them but found from his hollow state that they tended to cramp if left alone too long. "You see I designed my Ceros, whether it be Dark Fate, or Darkened Doom, to top the level I know hollows possess. But this one is new to me, to be honest. I think I'll call it Demon-Eye Cero." He let out a semi-insane laugh. "Got a nice ring to it, huh?"

"Be that as it may, you are still trash, and I will destroy you!" Ulquiorra made another spear, but this one black with a green tint to it and more spiked.

The spear tore towards Rertyan, but he simply shook his head, raising his blade to his shoulder.

"Demon Wave."

The ripple of reiatsu burst forth with tremendous power and speed, a trail of red electricity trailing from the black and blue arc. It collided with the lance head on and caused both to explode. The shockwave levelled the pillars above the dome and turned them to dust, but also cracked the domed roof badly, huge chunks bursting into dust around the epicentre. Lightning crackled into the air as the energies discharged, fire scorched the area and gave the ruined dome the feel of a village being raided; fire and chaos everywhere. Ulquiorra dove through the ash and smoke as the roof began to cave in, pouncing on Rertyan and bringing both of them through and into the chamber below.

_**Los Noches Lobby Chamber**_

Chad's El Directo pierced through another of the distorted hollow's masks, causing the body to collapse lifelessly as another three took its place. The giant groaned as he fired the attack again, the great blast of energy tearing into them but doing little to the numbers. Kid was also struggling, his Death Cannon more mobile and easy to fire due to there being two of them, but the blast radius was heavily decreased compared to Chad's.

"Damn, this is proving ineffective," the Meister growled, firing both barrels into a nearby hollow as it ran close, its distorted, asymmetrical form angering Kid. "You piece of garbage! Don't you dare touch me with your damned asymmetrical hands!"

"Uh, is this a bad time to point out that you yourself are asymmetrical?" Nel asked, her Resurreccion swiping at a swarm of hollows as they came at her.

"Yeah, real bad time!" Liz's mechanical voice shouted back, but Kid was more focussed on eradicating the infestation to worry about his own defects, luckily for them.

The floor suddenly started to shake and rumble as cracks spider-webbed over the ceiling, a glimmer of light piercing the cracks before great chunks of the roof toppled inwards. Chad jumped aside as a chunk plummeted onto the hollows which stood in the space he had moments before. Kid too had to dodge the shards of stone as they fell, but he started to shoot some parts to make an offensive out of the occurrence. Celest used her speed to isolate hollow into the shadows of the falling pieces and get away in time for the hollows to be crushed alive. As the debris stopped, they looked around; the exits were blocked except for the one Ichigo and the others had gone through, and the hollows were pinned down within or behind the rubble.

"What on earth was that?" Kid asked, staring at the blazing wreckage above them. "It must have taken a lot of power to do that."

And then the reiatsu swamped over them, the shear magnitude of it was enough to make Kid fall to his knees, and caused Celest, Nel and Chad stagger.

"What the hell is this?" Celest asked, bemused. "How can something be so strong? Is this Aizen?"

"We should find Ichigo if it is," Chad said in his usual voice, seemingly indifferent about the situation. "They will need our help if this is Aizen's reiatsu we can sense."

The group agreed and ran down the corridor as the pressure eased off, allowing them to press onwards.

_**Los Noches Central Chamber**_

"Ok, we made it!" Ichigo grinned as they stepped into another round chamber. Once again, it was empty, causing Ichigo to frown. "Or maybe not."

"It's definitely the right place," Rukia corrected. "But there seems to be something wrong, seeing as how we are unable to see where it is Aizen is hiding."

"Is he above us?" Maka asked, when the sounds of an explosion echoed overhead and the corridor they had come in through collapsed.

The curved ceiling near the centre of the chamber cracked as two figures tumbled down amongst the debris, flames and smoke. The trio shielded their eyes as the roof showered hot flames and shattered stone down onto the floor, cascading like rain from the clouds. As the smoke started to clear and the debris fell still, the sounds and blurred shapes of a fierce fight became evident. Ichigo strained his eyes to see through the thick grey haze that obscured the battle, and made out a small green light which was growing brighter and larger. His eyes widened and he grabbed both of his associates, pulling them aside as a Cero Oscuras tore into the space they had been standing in moments before. The first figure was forced backwards, its bat-like form upright but clearly forced by a strong being. A buzz of Sonido and the second was above Ulquiorra, his eyes glinting menacingly as it drew back its weapon.

"Demon Wave!" it roared in a familiar voice, loosing another fast-paced arc which raced downwards towards Ulquiorra.

The Espada dodged, taking to the skies outside to target the assailant, but the arc exploded forcefully against the floor, emitting a huge explosion of electricity and reshi. The figure used another Sonido and blocked the trio from harm with its huge wings, and only then could Ichigo make out who it was.

"Kai?" he questioned, surprised by the new form. The male scoffed and straightened, the blast dissipated.

"Wrong one, Kurosaki," Rertyan grinned. "I'm pretty sure that my partner will explain this in due time, but for now, I'm hungry, and I think bat's on the menu!"

With that, the demonic creature leapt upwards and slammed through the roof again, taking the fighting back outside.

"What the-" Ichigo gazed in wonder at the hole, when Rukia's voice caught his attention. She was knelt beside the epicentre of the Demon Wave, a large crack running through a single square in the floor.

"I think we've found out where Aizen is," his lieutenant said grimly as the largest chunk fell away,leaving a gap just big enough for the petite Soul Reaper and Meister to squeeze through. "Maka and I will go down first, you clear some of this rubble so you can fit through and follow us."

Ichigo nodded as Maka shimmied her lower body inside and then eased her torso and weapon through, though Soul had to change his blade into his arm in order to fit. He took Rukia by the shoulders and held her tight.

"Don't be stupid," he said in a protective tone. "And stay out of trouble until I get there."

"I will, Ichigo," she nodded.

They shared a quick kiss, then Rukia followed Maka through the narrow gap, leaving Ichigo to clear the rubble and look cautiously towards the gaping holes in the roof.

_**Over Los Noches**_

The two winged combatants clashed again, the sheer will to kill one another enough to make their reiatsu spike viciously to anyone nearby. The silver-edged blade was starting to look a dull grey-black as the blood from the wound it inflicted poured over it. Both of them showed few signs of injury, thanks to the high-speed regeneration they possessed, but the fact of the matter was that neither was unscathed.

Ulquiorra was still stoic, but his wings had pretty much been the only thing not regenerated by then. His Luz de la Luna constantly fell short of the targets, often only nicking Rertyan's tough hierro, but the few good strikes only did so much. For his part, Rertyan had been doing significantly better, seeing as how he had heard about Ulquiorra's abilities ahead of the fight, meaning he had the upper hand tactically. Even so, he was still adapting how this new power, and as such was yet to use it to its full potential. This had left him with the problem of trying to adapt while fighting an opponent that practically matched his level of power and skill. He grinned as he looked down at what was left of the fake Los Noches, then turned to Ulquiorra, taking a breather.

"I see why they put that limitation on releasing now," he chuckled. "The destruction we've caused between us is staggering."

"Indeed," Ulquiorra agreed. "Lord Aizen will not be pleased with this, but we will repair the damage once you and your friends are destroyed."

"You really think that?" Rertyan cocked his head, curious. "We've got two of our group already going in the direction to face Aizen, a third about to join them and several more inside fighting those hoards; face it, you won't win. And you're looking pretty banged up yourself. As soon as I'm done with you, I'll be helping them, and then there'll be no chance of success."

"Is that so?" Ulquiorra's body began to glow a deep green. "In that case, I had best not hold back any longer." Green strands of lightning tore through the air as the aura enveloped the Espada. "Murcielago, Final Form."

The bat-like Espada became lost in a shimmering sea of green, his body completely covered in it. The shape twisted and grew, distorting from what it once was, the sheer nature of the hollow's reiatsu changing with it. Rertyan watched in horror as he watched the form take shape, and barely had a chance to utter a curse before he was slammed into the ground forcefully, the whole palace shaking from the force.

_**Under Los Noches**_

Rukia and Maka were barely halfway down the spiralling staircase, the young Meister ahead by a dozen steps or so. The Soul Reaper Lieutenant had felt Ichigo enter a few moments ago, meaning he would be there before long.

Without warning, the very foundations of the palace shook violently, as if an earthquake were terrorising the white landscape above. The stairs began to crack and buckle in places, and the stone walls did not fare any better, crumbling in places and tearing great chunks from the stairwell. Rukia stabbed her zanpakuto into the woodwork beneath her, keeping the petite Soul Reaper from plummeting, but Maka was less lucky, stumbling to regain balance just as the beam she was running over cracked. The Meister let out a yell as she staggered and tumbled over the edge, her weapon unable to find the ledge as they fell into the darkness.

"Maka!" Rukia yelled, but the sound of stone crashing into stone above her caught her attention. A large chunk of the wall had been dislodged and was heading straight for her, but Rukia could do little but stare, petrified with fear, knowing this was where it would end. She clamped her jaw to stop herself crying. "I'm sorry, Ichigo. I couldn't keep my promise."

And then she closed her eyes and waited for the heavy stone to meet her frail body.

* * *

_I am so sorry that this took so long; I've had my art portfolio, electronics coursework and history controlled assessment to do as of late, hence my slow updates, but at least this one is done._

_There will be a back-story to what Ulquiorra said about Rertyan's released state later, so stay tuned._

_Oh, and anyone who reads my other on-going Fanfics, I'm sorry for the lack of updates on those fronts too._

_Anyway, let me know what you think, please review after reading, even if it's just to say 'good so far' or 'update soon'._

_Arigato, nakama!_

_Oh, and here is the link for my drabbles collection; .net/s/6544503/1/Ichiruki_Drabbles_Collection_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the Hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

_**A/N:** Thank you all for your patience; it hasn't been the best of weeks for my writing, since I turned sixteen on the tenth, and I've had exams and work crammed down my throat for a while, as usual, but I digress. As per usual, please be sure to review or anything, really._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 13: The Hell Bat and the Beast**

The sound of air rushing beside Rukia took her by surprise, and she wondered if the rock had fallen but missed her altogether somehow, but then the sound of rock being smashed and the soft pelting of tiny objects against her robes told her otherwise.

"What ever happened to not doing anything stupid until I got here?" came a cocky voice, which made Rukia smirk. Turning to the voice, Ichigo stood there, his zanpakuto on his shoulder and slightly smouldering, making it obvious that he had used a Getsuga to destroy the falling object. "You ok?"

"Yeah," she nodded, but then her eyes widened and she looked over the edge. The still blackness revealed nothing. "Maka... Ichigo, we have to get down there fast. She could be dead!"

"I know, Rukia. Grab on; my Shunpo is faster than yours is while I have Tensa Zangetsu," Ichigo wrapped his left arm around Rukia's waist and pulled her close before then disappearing to find their fallen comrades.

_**Above the Dome**_

Rertyan breathed heavily as his body tried to repair itself, but the few hits the colossus had delivered had been much more powerful than anything that had been thrown his way prior to the new release. His multi-armed opponent touched down gracefully for something of such size.

Ulquiorra had grown to be nearly twelve feet high, his wingspan a bit over that, and the new beastly form had brought him much benefit. The black blood dripped like a venom from his mouth when needed, which made for excellent defensive and offensive capability. The more bat-like form had two powerful legs which gripped their target unrelentingly, regardless of how much punishment they took, four arms sprouting from the torso, each tipped with black talons on each digit, and four hulking wings, making the creature more manoeuvrable, easily defended while in flight and, above all, an incredibly trying opponent. The tail had lengthened and developed five large spikes on the tip, making it more like a flail than anything. But most horrifying of all was the mask.

The form had restored his mask to normal, as it was when unreleased, but the fragment was mirrored to form a samurai-style helmet and face-plate which beheld two long horns, an arched crest and a pair of tear-streak markings under the eyes. The markings also appeared around the Hollow hole. The smaller Hollow composed himself and growled in frustration.

"I don't get it," he said, scowling. "Why didn't you use this form against Hichigo?"

"Hichigo?" the Espada mulled over the name, the mask making his voice deeper and more like an animal yawning. "Oh, Kurosaki's Hollow, you mean. It is simple; I could not do this."

"What the hell does that mean?" Rertyan growled.

"It is as I stated; I was unable to release to this stage." Ulquiorra shifted slightly to a more comfortable stance, then explained. "Each stage of release for an Arrancar has a certain boundary which must be transgressed. In order to achieve Ressurecion, we must transgress the boundary of Hollows and Soul Reapers. To achieve a Segunda release, it is our limits of power which must be exceeded or transgressed."

"Oh great," Rertyan sighed. "Set him off now."

"As for the Final Form, one must transgress the border between life and death. In order to use it, you must exceed your power, and then die. Once you die, you must then be reborn to attain this power. It is a true testament to the suffering I have gone through to become what I am." Ulquiorra finished his elaboration. "Now then, it is about time I annihilated you, trash."

The form moved quickly and Rertyan's eyes widened as it neared at an alarming pace, the roof cracked underfoot as the Espada kicked off.

_Shit, he's too fast! _Rertyan thought, loosing a quick Demon Wave then shooting at the only opening with another, but neither fell upon their target, instead being dodged skilfully before the claws plunged through his hierro and into his abdomen. The Hollow choked and spat the dull red of his blood as it caught in his throat. Again the huge Espada shifted before Rertyan could consider thrusting his blade in his direction, leaving the Hollow whirling as he came again with little sign of slowing or stopping the onslaught. The vicious ambushes continued unrelentingly until the Espada stood over Rertyan, the later on his knees, propped up by his blade. Ulquiorra, barely scratched despite his best efforts, swung a single clawed arm and struck Rertyan in the face, sending him hurtling across the roof before coming to a halt several metres away, the sword clattering to the ground as it was left behind. Facing the blackened sky, body aching and barely able to move, Rertyan's eyes fell on the figure as a spear of black energy with a sickly green tint extended in one palm, the point aimed at his throat.

"It is over, foolish Hollow," the Cero Espada said with no hint of remorse or emotion in his voice, indifferent as always. "You tried your best to defy my power, but a power that transcends death itself cannot be stopped by the likes of you. You are not even a pure Hollow, you came about by accident. Think of this as my gift to you; freedom from your tainted life."

"Go... To hell!" Rertyan spat. "I would gladly... give myself to make sure... sure that that bastard Aizen is dead!"

"Then you are as foolish as I first thought," Ulquiorra sighed. There was a hint of confusion in his eyes. "You look like that being I once knew of, found in the ancient scriptures of Hueco Mundo, but you could not possibly be him. No one of my capability could defeat someone that powerful."

"Who?" Rertyan gasped for breath, each breathe getting harder, and the spear was not helping matters.

"A long time ago, lowly Hollow," the Espada explained. "I found out about the first Hollows that roamed these barren plains. They were dark times, before the Soul Reapers came to be, when five Hollows ascended from the ranks and became what they would become for eternity.

"Soul Reapers," Ulquiorra went on, "always believe that Hollows have two stages, regular and Menos, and that the Menos have three divisions, but this is not the case. The final division, the Vasto Lordes, is in fact split in two again; first are the Vasto Primeras, which are the generic Vasto Lorde, but the more powerful one, of which only five have ever existed, is called the Vasto Ultimas. These five Ultimas found each other, and attempted to kill one another to establish dominance over the land, but their power was equal to one another, and none could gain an advantage.

"What happened instead, knowing that the power of their zanpakuto could never destroy one another, is they formed the Council of the Broken Mask. It was a magnificent court, the ruins of which are buried below us, where any Hollow of any power level could come and sort out disputes, allowing for a fair trial. When a Hollow disobeyed the Council, they put together their powers and removed every trace of that Hollow from existence. It was a system that worked, therefore, and one that could not be destroyed.

"Or so was the thought. There came news, at some stage, of an unusual disturbance. Two Ultimas were sent to investigate, but never returned. Concerned about their allies, the remaining three took their zanpakuto and made for the disturbance, after which none of them were seen again."

"What has this... got to do with me?" Rertyan asked.

"You remind me of one of these beings. They went by names; Shirosaki, the Hunter; Gretz, the Justifier; Telforth, the Elder; Manierro, the Defender; and Blackfang, the Jailer." Ulquiorra glared upon Rertyan, who's eyes had widened. "You look much like the Jailer. Now, trash," The Espada reeled back the spear, tightening his grip on the shaft of light. "Begone, for all eternity."

The spear thrust forwards towards the now grinning Rertyan.

_**In the Council Ruins**_

A weak coughing echoed as the dust and rubble settled at the bottom of the tall mine-shaft-like way down. The blonde girl's eyes scrunched tight shut as she spluttered, clearing her lungs of the debris. When she opened her emerald eyes, Maka could barely make out anything; the dark had surrounded her on all sides on her descent, and it was obvious that she had plummeted a long way from the minor bruising she felt on her body. Her grime-coated face gazed around groggily, trying to work out where she was or what had happened, when a low groan came from behind her. Rolling onto her stomach, she found herself staring up at none other than Soul's shark-teeth. Said weapon was on his back, Maka on his chest, a look of great pain on his face.

"S-Soul?" the Meister whispered, her partner's eyes opening and falling on her, bringing a smile to his face.

"Looks like I made it in time," he said.

Maka gave him a puzzled look, then realised what had happened; as she had keeled over the edge and fallen, Soul had changed his form back to human state, wrapped himself around her and taken the full impact. Shortly before they hit the ground, Maka had blacked out, but she knew that was what had happened without being told.

"Why?" she asked. "Why must you always put yourself in harms way just to keep me safe?"

"Because we're partners, and friends," Soul replied. "It wouldn't be cool if I let my Meister down like that, especially after all we've been through."

Maka smiled and shifted off of him.

"Come on, let's get this mission finished," she said. Soul nodded and sat upright, but let out a cry of pain, clutching his left leg, which was pinned under a large piece of stone.

"I can't do it, Maka," he said with a tone of disappointment evident. Maka followed his gaze, eyes adjusting to the dark, and gasped, seeing the extent of the damage.

Soul's chest and back were almost certainly bruised, a few ribs possibly fractured, but his forearms had multiple cuts in them, indicating that he had taken injuries on the way down while holding Maka's body, and his left leg was pinned up to the knee, meaning his leg was broken and that he would not be able to transform to his scythe mode. Maka's eyes teared up at the sight of such damage on her long-time friend and loyal weapon.

"Soul, you're hurt!" she whimpered. Soul's eyes fell onto her, a sadness in his eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Maka," he said. "I'll be fine."

"Idiot!" she cried, no longer caring if he saw her cry as she let the tears fall from her eyes, leaving streaks in the grime. "You don't have to do this for me! I don't want you to keep getting hurt like this just for me! That's stupid!"

Soul gazed at her as she shouted at him, then gestured for her to hug him, being unable to initiate it himself. Emotionally worn down, the girl fell to her knees and gripped Soul around the neck, crying into his by-now filthy shirt.

"It's alright, Maka," he whispered as she cried out her frustrations. "I won't do anything stupid that will get me killed. Feel this?" He tightened his grip for a moment. "I'm not going to let go of you. Whatever the future holds for us, we'll take it on together. You are the reason that I am in Shibusen and not back home. I... I love you, Maka Albarn."

Maka stared at her partner, jaw dropped slightly as she stumbled over the words to say. Her mouth went dry, her mind blank and her cheeks flushed as she attempted to say the words she had wanted to say when he told her that he loved her; of all the countless scenarios which came up in her daydreams and the various ways she had expressed herself to him, none came to mind. Soul eased her out of his hug and held her at arms length by the shoulders, seeing her internal debate and smiled softly, before gently placing his lips to hers.

It was like a spark which shot through them, a bolt of electricity which joined them and bound them to one another. Their eyes closed as they deepened their kiss, holding the other tightly as if afraid they would vanish if they let go. After a few minutes, they pulled apart, breathing heavily.

"S-Soul..." Maka sighed happily, though slightly taken aback.

Two figures suddenly shimmered into sight beside them, as Ichigo arrived with Rukia on his back. The shorter Soul Reaper jumped down from her Captain's back and ran over to the Meister and weapon who were sprawled on the floor.

"Are you ok?" she asked anxiously. Maka nodded.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Soul protected me when we fell, but his leg's broken." Maka looked Rukia in the eyes. "Can you help him?"

The Soul Reaper Lieutenant nodded and helped Ichigo roll the rock away before then seeing to Soul's leg.

"It's been crushed," she noted aloud, using Kido to repair the damages, a green glow enveloping both her hands and Soul's leg. "I can heal it, but it will take time to fix."

"Do your best, Rukia," Ichigo said, turning to the archway behind them which lead to another cavern. "I'll go find Aizen, and I'll destroy him once an for all."

As he went to go, Rukia grabbed him with one hand and pulled him back.

"You aren't going anywhere, Captain," she said firmly. "I can't help you until Soul is healed, and I'll be damned if I let you go it alone."

"Rukia, this is important; I have to do this quickly!"

"Kaien thought me never to die alone, and I'm not going to let you die by yourself!"

"What about us?" came a coy voice behind the group. Looking for the source, their eyes all fell on a certain blue-haired Espada and Quincy duo as they arrived in the rubble. "We'll go fight him, Ichigo, you stay here and protect your friends while they heal."

"Grimmjow," Ichigo said, then he smiled and nodded. "I understand. Try not to get yourself killed in there; Hueco Mundo needs a King like you to rule it." The arrancar grinned.

"Huh, glad you think so, Ichigo," he said, before heading towards the chamber at full speed.

_**Above the Dome**_

Ulquiorra watched with sedated pleasure as he thrust the spear downwards and towards his first adversary's heart, wanting to end the battle quickly so that he could finish off the whole group before they could threaten Aizen. His hopes of succeeding in this, his first real fight since his death and rebirth, were all but risen. But what happened next was the biggest shock he had ever had in any of his lives.

The point of the spear began to glow red before splintering up the shaft into nothing but dust-specks of green light as they fell around the surprised Espada, who stepped back as his opponent stood up.

"Impossible!" he hissed, watching the shimmer of red grow in intensity, as if a fire were spreading over his body. "How can you possibly be able to stand?"

"You are a fool, Ulquiorra Schifer," Rertyan replied, snapping his palm in the air and calling his fallen sword back to its rightful place. "If you had not told me that story, perhaps you would have a chance; perhaps I would have fallen at your hand moments ago. But, you no longer have any chance of that."

"How?" Ulquiorra spat, aware that the hollow's reiatsu was sky-rocketing again. "How did you do this?"

"Ichigo told me once that knowing the name of your attack makes it a hell of a lot stronger," Rertyan explained, a ghostly flicker of red flame extending from his right arm and down the sword. "But it's the same for us; knowing your own name allows you to realise your potential. Well, Espada, you have reminded me of my true name. Listen to me when I tell you the last name you will ever hear, Ulquiorra Schifer. I am Rertyan Blackfang, the Jailer. And this," he extended his arms as flames danced around his body. "is Burning Apache."

* * *

_Bet you weren't expecting that!_

_Yes, I realise that the name of one of the Ultimas is the same as some fan-based names for Ichigo's hollow; that was intended._

_Hope you like it, and I'm sorry it took so long!_

_Anyway, please be sure to review it and let me know what you think, it helps me so much._

_Anyway, I'm going to work on the next chapter of Darkest Side of Me, now, so I'll see you guys and girls around._

_Stay creative!_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the Hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 14: Dance of the Black-Blooded Fiends**

The dark corridor hummed with the sound of various power conduits as they pulsed through the walls, but the sound of shoes clacking against the stone floor ricocheted off of the walls and towards the main room. Two people emerged from the corridor and into the gloomy light of an energy sphere which crackled a putrid purple-black inside the red liquid in a huge glass jar. The former Espada stopped and looked around the laboratory with a look of bewilderment.

"What the hell is all this stuff?" Grimmjow asked, gazing around the room, from the strange pulsing sphere to the empty containers, from the exposed power cables to the burners and chemicals littering various benches. "He can't have made all this so quickly, could he?"

"No," Uryu shook his head, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Look at this stuff; it must have been here since he was killed. That must have been how Aizen came back, and how Ulquiorra is still alive too."

"That explains why the fake Los Noches is intact; they must have been planning this for a long time."

"Very observant, Grimmjow," came a slick voice with an edge of insane amusement about it. "I like how much you have changed in my absence." The man stepped forwards, his white robes tattered and torn, but he was very much alive, his blackened zanpakuto sheathed at his hip as his eyes fell on Uryu. "And the legendary Quincy, Uryu Ishida. My, it certainly has been a long time since we crossed paths."

"Aizen," Grimmjow growled.

"It seems you remember your master well, Arrancar," Aizen purred, his eyes glinting venomously. "I will give you the chance to return to my side as head of my military force, and we shall crush Soul Society."

"Tell me, Aizen," Uryu shouted, blocking Grimmjow as he tried to run up to the man. "How did you restore yourself."

"Ah, a thirst for intellect, I see," the former Captain nodded. "I suppose I should explain; when your friends killed me in Karakura, not everything was destroyed. I'm not sure how, but somehow my zanpakuto was not destroyed entirely. A number of hollows who believed in my cause built this chamber and the alter at its centre. They found the pieces of my shattered zanpakuto and any of my reiatsu they could find, then put it into the central plate. The agony I went through, to be made of nine powerful, loyal hollows, but I was glad to have the chance to try again. It seems fate has a good plan for me, seeing as how a creature infected me with this," He raised his right arm, revealing the black armour. "And gave me the means to end Soul Society, and vanquish the Soul Reapers."

"You bastard!" Grimmjow roared, pushing Uryu aside and drawing his own zanpakuto, a blue tint about the blade. "You threaten to do that, but I know you will not stop there. You plan to destroy all three dimensions. Well I'll tell you now, Sosuke Aizen; I am not gonna let you do as you please!" He swung the sword under his arm and ran his hand up the length of it. "Now, grind, Pantera!"

The tornado of power which erupted from Grimmjow as he took on his Resurreccion was astounding, and even Uryu had to shy away slightly under the pressure. At the other end of the corridor, Ichigo stood between the tunnel and Rukia as she healed Soul, the reiatsu washing over him. A shockwave rippled across the underground complex, forcing Ichigo back a step, shielding his eyes from the blast, and he instantly knew what was going on just metres away.

"They've found him," he said grimly. "I sure hope they know what they're doing."

"Don't worry about them, Ichigo," Rukia chided, concentrating on the task at hand. "Both of them are competent and powerful fighters; they will be able to hold their own."

"I hope you're right, Rukia," the Captain nodded, feeling the ground tremor as well as the sky. "I really hope you're right."

* * *

_**Above the Dome**_

The stone roof shimmered red as the fire spread over the Vasto Ultimas. The four-armed Espada stared as the right arm became wreathed in flame, along with the wings. The sword in his hand glinted as the flames twisted and swirled around the blade. Rertyan smirked and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Ulquiorra had barely moments to realise his opponent was gone before he was aware of a searing pain in his back. Stumbling forward, he spotted Rertyan as he swung the blade again, an arc of black wreathed in fire hurtling his way with greater speed than before. The Espada raised an arm to intercept the attack with his Cero Oscuras, but it moved faster than he had gauged. The arc struck the immature Cero and detonated both, a huge cloud of smoke billowing from the point of impact as fire coated the immediate area and tore the arm in question to pieces above the elbow. Black blood oozed from the wound as flames seared the powerful creature's skin, but something was slowing down his regeneration.

_What is this? _Ulquiorra thought, dodging the attacks as they came. _My instant regeneration has never let me down before. Could it be accepting the black blood has reduced its effectiveness? No, it was faster before this creature took on that form. Then why is it my arm cannot reform?_

His thoughts were cut short as a clawed foot slammed into his abdomen, sending him skidding across the dome until his clawed arms found purchase and halted him. Rertyan pointed the blade towards the ground and spun it through a whole spin, black flames tracing a ring in the air.

"Ring of Fire," he said, the sword aimed at the baffled Espada through the ring. "Dark Dragon Breath."

The ring began to spin, slowly at first but picking up speed in a short time, and contracted inward until it touched the blade, which now had a deep red hue about it. The tip of the blade erupted with a funnel of scorching black and red flames, tearing through the space between the combatants until it smothered the Espada and blurred him from view. By the time the smoke had cleared and the flames had died down, the Espada was on his knees, face down in agony. Rertyan stood over him, his blade ready to strike the final blow.

"I must thank you, Ulquiorra," he said. "Were it not for you, I would still not know of my potential. You have fought well, but a Vasto Lordes could never hope to match up to a Vasto Ultimas, not once it knows its potential. I hold no anger towards you, and I hope you can find peace in the next life. Do you have any last words?"

"Rer... tyan," Ulquiorra mumbled weakly. "R... Run."

Before Rertyan could ask what he meant, a thick, black reiatsu leaked from Ulquiorra's body. He leapt backwards as the Espada stood, black liquid seeping through the eye sockets of his helmet-like mask and out of the mouth lacerations too. A single, small crack the size of an eye ran up the middle of the forehead. At first nothing happened, then the masked shattered around this crack, an eye with a black sclera and a purple iris staring out of the break. Before either could react, the mask began to fragment until nothing was left, leaving Ulquiorra's face contorted into a twisted look of abject pain. A third horn burst through his head, the three white spikes protruding his skull at various angles, and his fourth, damaged arm began to sprout a demonic, part liquid appendage from the stump, forming a dripping, spiked replacement. The four hulking wings extended outwards and the entire body began to swell and grow. By the time was Ulquiorra's transformation finished, the Espada stood at twenty feet tall with a great deal of black blood pouring over various parts of the huge form. The three eyes opened, the black scleras and deep purple irises staring blinding around the huge building.

"What is that form?" Rertyan asked the huge Espada, but it just stared at it's new arm, flexing the digits experimentally as if unused to the sensation. "Ulquiorra?"

The creature roared animalistically, the sound echoing over the barren white plains and shaking the blackened sky. It did not take more than that for Rertyan to figure out that the creature was no longer Ulquiorra, and that his power had consumed him. The beast lunged heavily towards the Ultima and swiped at him, but the ancient hollow jumped aside with ease. He tried a Dark Dragon Breath, but the blast seemed to do nothing to even phase the beast, not even slowing its onslaught. He charged a Cero, but the fiery form of his Darkened Doom Cero was not even enough to scratch the surface either. Changing tactics, Rertyan dived towards it, loosing a flaming Demon Wave in an attempt to obscure it's view while he struck it head-on with his sword, but the arc was grabbed and thrown aside as if it were a feather in the grip of a tornado. The swing of the spiked sword was shaken off without doing much passed piercing the hierro to a weak level, but the spiked fourth arm swung around and slammed Rertyan in the face, the explosive force of the impact sending him reeling, though the damage was fairly low on the outside. The destructive power of the creature both shocked him and, in a strange way, impressed him.

_It seems that in losing control, his power has escalated to the point that it now rivals that of an Ultima,_ he played with the thought as they spared. He became aware that the reiatsu had risen, but the ability to conjure energy-based projectiles, from the Cero Oscuras to the Lanza del Relampago, seemed to have vanished. _Perhaps the lose of sanity and sense has made it impossible to focus the reiatsu into useful weapons. However, it seems to have taken the form of a shield around him which intercepts any damage from reiatsu based attacks and also allows this beast to grip something as potent and destructive as a Demon Wave. I may need more power than this form has to offer. _He paused his train of thought to block a strike with his wings and repulse the creature as it attacked. _I wonder if my abilities from before my rebirth have been restored... My Insignia might still be intact, now that I- Oh shit!_

Rertyan's chest ached as the twin-fisted strike sent him spiralling upwards and away from the now wrecked palace, and he made a note in his mind never to think so in-depth while battling; it did not mix.

* * *

_**Aizen's Lair**_

The blue bow whirred with the reiatsu charge within it as the bowstring was drawn back, the spray of light which spawned from the arrow tip bearing down on the crazed ex-Soul Reaper Captain, but once again he dodged the barrage. The arrancar pounced swiftly with his sharp claws, but the strike met the black blade of the corrupted zanpakuto and found a kick embedded in his chest, sending him forcefully backward. It had been the same for a while, but neither Aizen nor Grimmjow showed any signs of slowing down or stopping in any way. The two of them were bound in a battle between the vengeful King and the crazed Capatin.

Uryu took the moment of distraction to use his Hirenkyaku to get behind Aizen and slash at the opening he had left with a Seele Schneider, but the reciprocating blade met the dark zanpakuto and stopped dead as if it had never been swung. Uryu blinked and moved away quickly before Aizen could attack.

"My blood is black," Aizen said to the archer darkly. "And my blade uses my blood to null yours. That blunt instrument will not harm my body."

_Damn,_ Uryu thought. _He's right; his zanpakuto and body are reinforced with the Black Blood to stop Seele Schneider breaking them down. Since that is the case, and my arrows cannot pierce him, nor does he possess any ranged reiatsu-based weapons, I will have to attempt Sprenger if I can't shoot a Seele Schneider into his body with Gin Rei Kojaku._

The Quincy raised the spider-web-like bow to its firing height and linked the bladed arrow's hilt to the centre, drawing it back. Aizen laughed a little, but stood there and spread his arms wide as Uryu loosed the shot. Before he knew what had happened, the sound of shattered metal hitting the floor and a pain in his right arm became obvious.

The ex-Captain had taken a single, powerful swing at the blade as it came towards his chest, dispersing the blade with his left hand while his sword slashed into the metallic hilt, splintering it with a splutter of the energy contained within as it dispersed into the air. No sooner had he done this did he flash step to Uryu and cut into his right upper arm, severing the nerve before returning to his position in an instant. In the time it took Uryu to comprehend the destruction of his fifth Seele Schneider, his bow was gone and his right arm hanging limp beside him. Aizen turned, a twisted grin on his face as he spoke.

"I told you so," he said, raising the sword over his head to strike the Quincy down. "Now I have to kill you."

The sword met the dull clang of metal on metal as Grimmjow's spined forearm intercepted the strike and swung the dark blade wide, giving him the chance to spear his free clawed hand into Aizen's stomach. A dark liquid poured from the wound as the former Espada ripped his hand free, the damage healing spontaneously after launching a spike of the stuff into Grimmjow's right-side chest, piercing his tough hierro. The king grasped his injury as he fell backwards. Aizen went back to Uryu, but Grimmjow struck out with a green projectile launched from his elbow.

"I'm not done yet, Aizen!" he yelled, his rage fuelling him.

"It is amazing how annoying a simple creature such as yourself can be," Aizen scoffed, this sword glowing purple-black with reiatsu. "Now I shall destroy you with my new power. Fall into madness, Kuroi Suigetsu."

"You're not the only one," Grimmjow said, blue energy enveloping his form. "who has a hidden, secret weapon. Grind, Pantera, Segunda Etapa!"

* * *

_Climactic? I hope so._

_Sorry if the end seems rushed, doing this quite late in the night so that I can move on to Darkest Side of Me._

_Anyway, what did you like/dislike? Let me know with a review, and your comment may be noted for next time!_

_Anyway, I have a certain English-dubbed film to watch with a mug of Horlicks (I know, real hard-core, eh?), so goodbye for now everyone!_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the Hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

* * *

_**A/N: **I'm happy to say that this is going well, as are (most of) the remaining FanFictions I'm working on. Anyway, I thought I should heads up that this is expected to be about the second to fourth from last chapter in this arc, but the plot line will continue in another story. Bear with me on that._

_Also, to you Soul Eater fans, this and the Manga/Anime releases (been reading/watching it again lately) inspired me to create a FanFic about Soul Eater solely (pardon the play on words). The link will be at the end of the chapter; let me know what you think if you read it!_

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 15: The Fierce Battle Rages On**

The air was laced with a tense, hectic presence, as if electricity were flowing freely from the combatants and into the wounded spectator as he shielded his face from the blasts of power. The frenzy of dust and debris which had been whipped up by the force and flung into miniature hurricanes around both Aizen and Grimmjow was being littered onto the floor, and the crushing pressure that the fallen Quincy felt in his arm told him he would not be able to fight; his arm's reiatsu receptors had been targeted and severed with surgical precision, making his Ransotengai useless, even to get a single attack in to aid Grimmjow. His gaze fell upon the corridor they had entered the arena through, knowing that Ichigo and Rukia were ready to fight as back-up, though whether Soul and Maka would be able to was questionable.

_I wonder if having a broken leg would affect his ability as a weapon, _Uryu wondered as the veil around Grimmjow parted.

The King of Hueco Mundo stood at a great stature, about nine and a half feet tall if the Quincy had to guess, with his mane of hair reaching down to the back of his knees. From behind the wall of blue fur were three long white tails, each tipped with a fairly long spine with a blue tint to it. The claw-like hands and feet were much more powerful in looks, matching the now more muscular-looking Espada. He turned to his fallen comrade, revealing thick white armour over his advanced hierro, along with the twin-bladed devices attached to each of the two hulking forearms, a pair of hefty shoulder plates and blue fur hanging in tufts about his collarbones, wrists and ankles. The tiara-like mask fragment of his previous form was glowing as the band thickened and the three spines jutted higher upwards with two shorter spines between them, giving the impression of a crown adorned with sapphires on the pillars.

"Can you move?" he asked, keeping his feet in place while he turned his body side-on to speak with Uryu. The archer nodded. "In that case, get your ass back to Ichigo and the others."

"What?" Uryu yelled, despite the fact he could not help in the battle to come. "Don't be so damned arrogant!"

"I'm not," Grimmjow said levelly, turning to the blackening swirl of energy before him. "I know why you were cut in the arm at that exact point, Quincy; he rendered you incapable of fighting or defending yourself. Now, I don't know about Aizen, but I sure as hell ain't gonna go easy just because you're here, and that force could crush your being like that. I'm telling you to do this, not out of arrogance, but because you're no good to your friends dead, and I'm not having that on my conscience; not after all the sins I've collected."

The words struck Uryu; for an Espada, a creature which personifies sin, to say that it cannot accept killing someone because it doesn't sit with them is one thing, but for them to then come out and say that they have too much sin on the souls was staggering. After this, Uryu knew that Grimmjow intended to destroy Aizen for the good of both his people and everyone outside of his kingdom.

"I can see that Hueco Mundo could not have a better King if it tried," he conceded before turning to leave. "Be careful not to die, Grimmjow."

"Please," Grimmjow grinned. "Who do you take me for; Ichigo?"

Exchanging a brief laugh, Uryu headed down the corridor. No sooner had he left did Aizen's newly released state part the dark veil around it.

The dark katana blade had grown greatly, the length at least one and a half times the original, and the dull hue of shadow was darker still, now a more obsidian than before. The tsuba had bent and flexed into the form of an eye in dulled-silver finish. The man's hand appeared fused to the hilt, as the fault-lines which had been prominent previously were gone in place of a black substance which coated the ex-Captain's right arm in it's entirety. On the back of his hand was a silver ring with a dark glass centre, though the purpose of this was unknown to the Espada. Aizen himself had changed too; his robes had been repaired to perfection, though with a dark grey colour to them, and a trio of eyes sat in the centre of his chest in vivid red which stood out well against the robes themselves. Also noticeable was the fact that his face was obscured by a black mask which seemed to flow a little while keeping its shape perfectly, only a pair of grey-blue irises with sharply contrasting deep purple sclera visible in the man's features.

"So, this is the power of a Kishin," he mused, laughing darkly yet madly. "I see it now; the power of Madness in all its glory! And it's beautiful!" His monologue dried up as he stared at Grimmjow. "Tell me, Grimmjow, how do you dare to defy this power by standing there in such a pitiful form. I can show you the power of having blood which is black!"

"Bring it on, you bastard!" the King snarled. "I've been waiting for a chance to do this, so don't disappoint me!"

Grimmjow lunged, his clawed right hand arcing towards the crazy-eyed man, but meeting a forceful swing of his sword.

"That's my line, Grimmjow!" Aizen roared, pushing down on the Shikai firmly.

* * *

_**Above the Dome**_

Rertyan kickied out as he drew near to the insane Espada, who was now emitting a powerful green reiatsu from his mouth, but it barely took any notice. The reiatsu pooled into a ball then shot out at high power, missing Rertyan by moments, but exploding with enough force to shake his flight. The Ultimas turned to face his opponent, surprised.

_Guess he was storing his reiatsu inside because there's no way to channel it? _Rertyan shook the thought from his head before he got put off again. _No choice really; nothing's working._

"I had hoped," he sighed. "That I would not have to strain this body so soon, but you leave me no choice, Ulquiorra." Rertyan's left arm raised in front of him with the fingers splayed, a red energy building into a wireframe square with three triangles placed together with a blank triangle in the centre inside of it. The structure took shape and solidified. "Elder Protocol One; Blackfang Insignia!"

A burst of vibrant red light shone from the square, bathing over Rertyan and obscuring the view briefly. When the light dispersed, nothing had happened, except that Rertyan had lowered his arm, the insignia still in his grip. Then it happened; a single beam of red from the sand dunes somewhere in the distance. A dark shadow flew over the bone-white of the land, growing larger and more defined with each beat of its huge wings. The creature landed heavily on the scorched, cracked roof, the building shuddering under it.

The beast was very large, that was for sure. Its great stature and breadth dwarfed the average hollow and rivalled that of Ulquiorra in his newest state. It was dragon-like yet demonic; the huge wings decorated with red bony spines, the powerful arms and claws much the same, the yellowy-red scales over its body; everything pointed to the mythical and religious beasts. Around the wrists were manacles, much like Rertyan's but much larger, and on the chest and torso were a series of heavy golden chains encircling a square port with eight claw-tips jutting from the corners and edges. It looked upon Rertyan and smiled toothily.

"Master," it growled. "I am glad to see you again."

"Skarox," the Ultimas nodded, smiling back. "It's been too long."

"You summoned me to fight, sir?"

"Yes," Rertyan turned and raised the insignia into the air. "We'll fight as one being, and destroy this menace for the sake of the Council."

"I understand, Master Blackfang," Skarox bowed. "Insignia Fusion initiated."

The air grew thick with dense as the now white square which bore three red triangles raised towards the port in Skarox's chest. A series of red tendrils of electric reiatsu spiked from the insignia as it pulled itself into the port, the claws closing around it to hold it firm. Rertyan's form became shrouded in a crimson aura as he began to levitate above the roof, arms splayed and feet crossed as if he were on a crucifix as he rose to Skarox's now glowing chest. Ulquiorra's mad form lunged, but it ricochetted off of an invisible wall of energy which engulfed the duo. A sphere of red light consumed them both, shining extremely brightly and obscuring the sight of their fusion.

When the veil parted, one huge figure stood there. It was too large to be Rertyan, but too small to be Skarox. The first thing that became clear was the wings and tail, which were much like that of Skarox but with several curved spines running the length of the tail at equal intervals and darker scales across the entirety of all three huge structures.

Then was the legs, which were scaled but a darker hue than Skarox, with clawed feet wrapped in a thick, boot-like armour up to the mid-shin, and sporting dark red spikes on the knees. The arms differed greatly; both were scaly like the legs, but the left one had a large trio of claw-like spikes on the shoulder, creating a sort of guard for his head, and an armoured forearm which was otherwise plain, whereas the right had ticker armour around the forearm, this time in the shape of the makeshift guard of Supernova's Bankai, and a black tattoo running up the upper arm, which remained exposed.

The torso of the creation was covered in a silver armour over a set of black robes. The only other colour about the armour was the gold of the chains and port which held the insignia in place on the left side of the chest and wrapped around the upper arm on the left.

Finally was the head, which was humanoid and exposed, the mask fragment reduced to only the horns, which now were a red-brown colour and part of his skull itself. Rertyan's red and black eyes gazed upon Ulquiorra with a look of pity at what had become of him.

"Dragon-Eyed Demon," he announced. "Nova Jailer form. I will ensure that those who did this to you are locked away, Ulquiorra Schifer!"

_Jeez, that was such a cheesy line! _Kai protested from his inner world. _What made you say that?_

"Shut up, partner," Rertyan grinned, a ripple in the air beside his right hand appearing. "Just sit back and watch the fireworks."

The hand vanished into the rough crack of red energy, pulling out a large weapon. The blade was long and clearly double-edged by the shape. The long grip of red was hidden mostly under his fist, the cross-guard formed of a red disc with two dragon wings sprouting from it, disguising the place where the huge blade tapered to the slender handle. A length of black chain hung from the hilt, on the end of which was a single spike of silver-grey. Ulquiorra lunged, his spiked, black arm arcing for Rertyan's exposed neck.

A scream howled into the night as, with a flash of light and the glint of steel, the arm turned to blood and the side was cut open. Ulquiorra roared in pain as he stopped, Rertyan turned quickly and ready to swing, a red and black energy lacing his blade in deadly fashion.

"Elder Flame Demon Wave."

A single swing and the arc of black and red shot forwards with blinding speed, a blue flame engulfing it as it tore into Ulquiorra's right side and exploded with more power than any other projectile they had used. Still the deranged creature came at him, blood pouring from every part of him, but Rertyan swung around and kicked him upwards, aiming his blade straight at Ulquiorra while his left hand fell upon his insignia, a red glow emanating from both.

"I'm sorry," he said remorsefully. "You are a valiant fighter, and I regret that it has to be this way." The insignia's image had taken shape around Rertyan's feet by now, as he closed his eyes. "Final Sentence, Infernal Damnation Pillar."

The blade ignited in stark red fire, the super-heated substance wreathing the sword and it's master's right arm. A series of fiery chains appeared from black voids in the surrounding air, binding around Ulquiorra and holding him in place. Rertyan jumped, his wings carrying him to the thrashing hollow as he raised his blade high and cut into his victim in one swing.

No sooner had Rertyan done this did a red ball of fire appear at the centre of Ulquiorra's chest. He roared in pain as the searing heat became a ring around him and the chains before becoming a perfect pillar of red-orange fire with Rertyan stood before it, watching with a pained expression as the creature carried out it's sentence. When the flames died down and the embers were all that remained, Rertyan flicked his sword slightly, causing the flames and chains to vanish. He grabbed Ulquiorra's body by the arm and gently took him down to the rooftop once more. The wound was deep, and certainly fatal, even though he had returned to his unreleased state. The burnt form stared up at Rertyan, who stabbed his weapon into the ground beside him and knelt down beside the Espada, shrinking down to a less menacing height.

"I was wrong about you," the green-eyed Espada choked out. "I thank you, Elder, for saving me from myself. I only wish that I had been able to see how much damage I was causing for Hueco Mundo... I thought that my actions were helping our kind, but I see now that I was wrong." His body started to take on a green glow as his feet started to turn to reiatsu. "Am I really that far gone?" He looked into Rertyan's dark eyes and raised a hand to him. The Elder understood the gesture and held it in his. "Promise me, Rertyan... Promise me... That you will destroy this place. It can... cannot be known w... what was done here. Aizen's reign mu... must end today. Can you promise me that?"

"It will be done," Rertyan nodded. "You were a great fighter, Ulquiorra Schifer. In another life, perhaps we will be allies against a common foe."

"I hope so..." Ulquiorra let out a sigh as his right arm and anything below his chest had vanished. "Dying like this... What trash I am."

With one final sigh, the air left Ulquiorra's lungs, never to return. The last thing to go was the left hand, which Rertyan never dropped until it was gone. Standing up, he broke through the ceiling and made his way through the rubble which littered the trembling palace's corridors in search of the group that had stayed to fight, their reiatsus clear in his senses. Kai had no idea of what was happening from within his inner world, but he knew that Rertyan had a reason for what he was doing, so he kept silent and let it happen.

* * *

_**Council Ruins**_

Rukia let out a sigh and slumped to one side a little, but Ichigo gripped her side and stabilised her.

"You did great," he said softly in her ear, willing his own reiatsu into her being. His Kido abilities were appalling at best, but he figured that their similar reiatsu strains might allow him to transfer his surplus into his Lieutenant in a similar fashion.

"Thanks," Rukia replied, smiling up at Ichigo. She looked exhausted, but the feeling of his reiatsu engulfing her own and amplifying it made her feel much better than she seemed.

"Thank you," Soul said, rubbing his leg. He stood gingerly but almost toppled over before Maka stopped his descent. "Man, that was so not cool."

"Enough about being cool, Soul," Maka chided softly. "It doesn't matter; it's not like anyone is going to find out from us."

"Thanks, Maka," Soul grinned at his Meister. Moments later, both Ichigo and Rukia stood upright.

"Okay, we're going to go help Grimmjow and Uryu," Ichigo announced. "I don't want you two to rush into battle when you are still recovering, so wait here for now."

Ordinarily, Soul would have complained, but he decided against it this time, seeing as how he could hardly stand, let alone transform or be much use in a fight at the time. The Captain and Lieutenant rushed down the corridor towards the intense sounds of fighting, leaving the Meister and weapon alone.

When they arrived in the room, they noticed the macabre instruments which littered the floor, covered the walls and ran through the ceiling. The place was a junk yard of the weird and horrific. The plasma sphere in the jar which appeared to power the entire complex was the only thing which struck Ichigo as being remotely scientific yet not laced with insanity, though it still was rather creepy, particularly the glow it cast over the room due to the pulsing tendrils of energy from the central sphere of black. The sounds of fighting came through a doorway to their left, in which stood Uryu, his right arm drenched in crimson from a deep wound.

"Ichigo, Rukia," he said, stumbling against the wall from loss of blood. "Grimmjow is fighting Aizen alone. I don't know if he is having any luck, but he has taken on a second release against him."

"He did what?" Ichigo asked, surprised that Grimmjow possessed such a great power, remembering his fight with Ulquiorra and how quickly he had been killed under the power of his Resurreccion Segunda Etapa. "Why aren't you helping him?"

"I would if I could, idiot!" Uryu growled. "Aizen must have seen Kurotsuchi's notes on Quincies; he knew exactly where to cut my arm to disrupt the flow of reiatsu and make me unable to fight." Ichigo went to push passed, when Uryu stopped him. His tone was solemn and unwavering as he spoke again. "Ichigo, he was unaffected by my Seele Schneider, and he also was able to destroy the blade with his bare hand and cut through the hilt. You should know by now that that is not something which should happen; it was designed never to break, and the blade has a high oscillation to cut the bonds of reiatsu particles."

"Big deal, just means that his release is a lot more powerful than we have encountered before," Ichigo brushed it off, but Uryu's words chilled him.

"Ichigo, he hadn't released his zanpakuto when that happened."

* * *

_**Aizen's Lair**_

The walls shuddered with every clash the combatants shared. Grimmjow had used his blades on the right arm extended into a twin-bladed arm-mounted sword, in the hopes that he could pierce the Black Blood, but it kept glancing off.

_Dammit,_ he thought angrily. _There must be some way to break this bastard!_

The sword embedded itself into his left side, causing a great deal of blood to pour free over the pristine armour which was now scratched and pierced in many places. Blood drenched the heavy armour plating, clashing with the fierce blue of his hair, fur and eyes. Aizen seemed almost amused by the results of what he had done.

"Now, Grimmjow, I think I should show you my power," he chuckled, unharmed by the onslaught the King of Hueco Mundo had aspired to create. He kicked Grimmjow away and stood over him, the glass on the back of his hand staring at the battered male. "Let loose your sanity, and fall into Madness, Grimmjow Jaggerjaques. Madness Mirror, gaze upon your target and consume his mind."

The murky surface of the mirror rippled a little as Grimmjow found himself staring into it without any chance of turning away, compelled to ignore his instincts and stare blankly at it.

The sound of his screams could be heard high above on the sand dunes and into the permanent night sky.

* * *

_Ok, I'm beat._

_I'm sorry it took so damned long, but I was sick last week and it took a while to get the energy together to be bothered to write or even get out of bed._

_Anyway, as always, I would like to hear what you all thought of this, so please consider reviewing now you have read it thus far._

_For now, I have to get some sleep, as it is just after midnight when I post this, so good night._

* * *

_Oh, and also, here is the link to Soul Eater: the Next Step (note that the spaces must be removed for it to work);_

_http:/ www. fanfiction .net /s/ 7619529 /1/ Soul_Eater_The_Next_Step_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the Hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 16: Into the Madness**

Ichigo stared at the wounded archer before him, shocked by what he had been told moments ago. The thought that Aizen could be powerful enough to destroy the legendary weapon which Uryu had used so much and fight on par with a former Espada, albeit the Sexta, in Segunda Etapa stunned Ichigo. His fight with Ulquiorra had taken his all to even try to scratch him, and yet Aizen was on par with Grimmjow without even releasing his Bankai.

"What did you say?" he asked. Rukia was also startled by this, but more because of how shocked it left Ichigo; she had never seen him in such a state before.

"I know it seems hard to believe, but it is true," Uryu confirmed. By now, Rukia was dealing with the worst of the injury so that he would not pass out from blood loss, but he was not going to be able to fight until they saw Urahara again. "I know that we have to defeat him, but I thought you should know his potential first."

"Thank you, Uryu," Rukia said, finishing her work. "Do you think you can make it outside on your own?"

"Possibly; I may be able to bend the reishi in the air to help myself get out," the Quincy nodded. "I suppose-"

An abrupt scream of sheer agony echoed from the corridor behind Uryu, cutting him short.

"That sounds like..." Rukia started, but Ichigo had the same thought.

"Grimmjow!" he yelled, charging passed Uryu in the blink of an eye.

Before either of his allies could stop him, Ichigo was at Grimmjow's side. The former Espada had collapsed on the floor, clutching his head and writhing in agony. The Captain took in the situation and the new form which Grimmjow had taken in a brief moment before looking around the darkness of the underground lair, noting that there appeared to be no sign of Aizen anywhere.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo said firmly. "What the hell happened? Where's Aizen gone?"

"Black..." Grimmjow's voice was low and had a dark but airy edge to it. Ichigo frowned.

"Black? What are you talking about?" he pressed, placing a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.

"...My blood... Black..." The fragments were the only sound which Grimmjow was now making. His head was lowered still as he rose up, towering over the orange-haired Captain with his eyes in shadows. "Fear... Must kill... Aizen..."

"That's right," Ichigo nodded. "We have to-" Grimmjow's hand wrapped around his neck tightly, the clawed digits coming close to piercing the skin. Ichigo choked on the air in his lungs, trying to breathe with a great deal of trouble. "Grimm... jow..."

"Aizen's orders, must kill Kurosaki," he growled, looking up. "My blood is black."

Ichigo stared at the King of Hueco Mundo's eyes fearfully. The irises were practically non-existent, but that which was visible were a deep red instead of the usual blue, and the pupils were barely pin-pricks in the orbs. His mouth was twisted into an obscure, fanged grin, reminding Ichigo of a mad man. He abruptly roared and threw Ichigo to one side, sending him into a wall and cracking it under the impact. The Soul Reaper rolled onto the floor from the indent in the stone wall, his face bleeding and his robes torn already.

"Mai, Sode no Shirayuki!" Rukia cried out, a blast of ice lacing Grimmjow, holding him still. "Ichigo! What the hell is going on?"

"Aizen, he did something to Grimmjow," Ichigo growled, pulling himself up with his Lieutenant's help. "My guess is that his Shikai has altered to be more focussed."

"Oh, well done, Kurosaki," came an insane voice in the darkness. "I never would have guessed that you would catch on after such a brief time; bravo."

"Where are you, you bastard?" Ichigo roared, glaring around the room. The ice around Grimmjow started to crack, breaking as he swung his arms outwards. He went to charge the pair of Soul Reaper's, but again the voice spoke out.

"Wait, Grimmjow," Aizen chided, and the former Espada halted obediently. "Now, Kurosaki, I'm sure you can understand that I can't tell you everything. Instead, I'll let you work it out while you fight. Grimmjow, kill them both!"

Sure enough, the deranged Arrancar lunged, but Rukia's blade intercepted the strike. She released her Bankai, the resulting burst of reishi and power forced the strike back. Ichigo followed with his own attack, the blue arc of reiatsu nearing the armoured behemoth, but he gripped it in a single claw and threw it aside as if it were a feather in the clutches of a hurricane. The right claw tips began to glowed a deep hue of blue before Grimmjow snapped his palm and splayed his digits. An aura of blue engulted his hand and stretched outwards a couple of inches on all sides, a silhouette of his hand which followed the actions of his hand to the letter.

"What the-" Rukia raised her shield against a swing of the blue-energy-wreathed hand, blocking it with the it coated in a thick layer of ice like additional armour.

Sparks flew off of the clashing items, but Grimmjow kept pushing against the blocking metal. Rukia groaned and pressed her right arm into the back of the shield in an attempt to force the creature back, but the stronger, heavier being was winning out against her best efforts. Soon she was forced to one knee, the ice starting to crack under the pressure on both sides of it.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo bellowed, launching a dark blast of energy from Tensa Zangetsu, the strike shattering the energy around Grimmjow's arm and forcing it away under the explosive power of both energies detonating one another. He followed with a strong swing which ensured that the Arrancar backed away from his Lieutenant. "Sorry it took so long," he said, holding Grimmjow in his sight. "You ok, Rukia?"

"I'm fine," she panted, standing. "This is crazy; how did you beat that other Espada when he was like this."

"I didn't, I died and my hollow did it," he shrugged.

"Wait, what?" Rukia yelled, hitting him over the head with the hilt of her weapon. "Why the hell didn't you tell me, baka?"

"What? Is this any time to be talking about this? We're in a battle, damned midget!"

"Don't call me a midget!" Rukia went to strike her partner again, but noticed Grimmjow raise his arm and so stopped.

The device mounted on his arm extended into a large, twin-bladed weapon with a blue energy swarming over it, increasing the cutting edge greatly. He swung in a downward arc towards the pair, but both vanished in a rapid burst of Shunpo, both appearing behind Grimmjow and swinging to cut him; he could not block two blades if his two were combined on one wrist.

The blades flew towards their targets, but stopped short, each blocked with a separate twin-bladed weapon. Their eyes widened as they backed off, Grimmjow brandishing his blades readily.

"Dammit," Ichigo growled. "I didn't think he'd have two of those damned things!"

"We'll just have to try harder," Rukia replied. "If front-on attacks won't work, we'll have to attack him more creatively."

"Creative's my middle name!" Ichigo announced, charging at the former Sexta.

He loosed a barrage of Getsugas at Grimmjow's armoured front, blocking his view before drawing his left hand over his face. With his mask on, he struck at his side, the blade glancing off with little damage. Angered by the result, he charged a Getsuga Tenshou into Tensa Zangetsu and started to attack with a flurry of sporadic slices and jabs, a few getting passed Grimmjow's defences and piercing the armour slightly. The Arrancar abruptly struck him in the face with his energy-laced fist, forcing Ichigo to stagger back as half of his mask shattered under impact.

"Ichigo, move!" Rukia shouted, rushing forwards.

She ran at Grimmjow until he lunged, then leapt over him, spinning in the air and cutting the armour in a straight line. She struck again and again, cutting in seemingly obscure places and distances, until she was stood so that Grimmjow faced away from Ichigo. From his position, the young Captain could see that his Lieutenant's moves had in fact had a pattern, the scratches linking together into an effigy of her Shikai tsuba with a five-segment ribbon looping around it. She ran her hand up the glowing blade, causing fresh snow to begin to fall, and then vanished in a split second. Before he could move, the sword had pierced Grimmjow's hide at the centre of the illuminated symbol carved on his back. White energy built up in a circle around Grimmjow, his feet frozen in place with multiple tendrils of snowy glass, and Rukia smiled smugly as it began to rise up, spiralling faster and faster, until she finally leapt out of the ring, blade in hand. As she flew over the outer edge, she drew in her weapon and, as she touched down gracefully on one knee, swung forcefully outwards. The blade vanished into powdery snow as a huge pillar of ice, much larger than that of Tsukishiro, engulfed Grimmjow. As it solidified, the pillar shifted slightly, a series of white portals opening around the pillar with a now frozen Grimmjow trapped inside. The portals each sprouted a single replica of her own sword, which all thrust inwards in one fluid movement and with such momentum that they pierced the hard shell Grimmjow had. Rukia panted as a bemused Ichigo looked at her, the smug smile back in a flash.

"What was that move?" he asked, dumbfounded by the grace and beauty of the powerful attack.

"Mai no Shirayuki*," she replied. "It takes a lot out of me, and it's hard to set up, but it is also one of the abilities that only my Bankai can use. It seals the target away like Tsukishiro and then delivers a strike with many blades of ice. If it does not kill the target, it would certainly wound them at least." Rukia raised herself into a standing position, holding the hilt of her sword towards Grimmjow, and twisted her right hand slightly. The blades shattered inside the pillar and turned into snow once again, melding into a single blade once again. "That should do it."

A crack ran down the side of the ice pillar as Grimmjow began to stir, his reiatsu bombarding the inside and weakening it greatly. Ichigo stared at the sight with an equally as shocked Rukia beside him. Before he knew it, Zangetsu was talking to him in his head.

"_Ichigo, you must stop him now,"_ the spirit said firmly, his voice sounding younger. _"I have not taught you all of my power, but I fear you will die if I do not teach you this. Grip my sword in both hands and concentrate all of your reiatsu into it, focus it as small as possible." _Ichigo began to do as he was instructed, but Tensa Zangetsu went on. _"Then, when every drop of reiatsu is there, pierce his chest. And remember, the name of this attack is..."_

Ichigo's eyes snapped open, the irises laced with a strong blue hue which shone through the darkness. He rushed forwards, Tensa Zangetsu glowering a dangerous shade of red, and lunged at Grimmjow as he broke free of his icy bonds. The strike was well aimed and went straight through the creature's chest with a spray of blood out of both wounds. Ichigo closed his eyes and whispered a brief apology before releasing all of the built-up reiatsu in one burst. In the short silence which covered the room as a sphere of black built around the tip of the blade protruding from Grimmjow's back and chest, Ichigo's voice could be heard uttering only two words.

"Saiga Zangetsu**."

The explosion was horrific, the shockwave from the blast pulsing over the surrounding area and making everywhere tremor under the immense power of the hyper-compressed reiatsu. The walls shuddered and threatened to fall, the ceilings cracks in protest and the floor roared in agony as it was torn into pieces by the force of Ichigo's attack. Rukia shielded herself behind a wall of ice, but even then she could feel the intense heat and pressure the attack produced. Everything fell into shadow, the black reiatsu surging free once more, before dispersing into the reshi in the air.

Ichigo stood there, taking shuddery, deep breaths over Grimmjow, who he had laid on his back. The King of Hueco Mundo had a crescent-shaped scar on his chest where the impact had happened, and his breathing shallow. Rukia's eyes fell to Ichigo's hand, only to find the cause of the violent power; the zanpakuto was torn apart, the grip tattered, the chain on the hilt broken in some links and barely hanging on, and the blade was now a scarred stump of what it had once been. Rukia understood the damage to Ichigo too, the thin slithers of blood which trailed over his ripped robes, the Shihaksho completely dispelled due to the loss of his excess reiatsu, and exposed flesh. It was clear to her, as a well-trained Soul Reaper, that the zanpakuto's magnitude of power came from the blade exploding. As if to confirm this, she realised that three black shards of metal were embedded in her own shield. Ichigo looked at her with soft eyes as Grimmjow's returned to normal.

"It's over, Rukia," he managed shakily, uncertain of how much more his body could do. He was also, Rukia knew, lamenting the loss of his weapon when Aizen still had to be killed. "He's back to normal."

The sounds of metal piercing flesh, a scream of shock and a gasp of pain emanated from the chamber as Soul and Maka ran in. The Weapon had been able to stand and transform after a fairly long rest, and when his Meister was happy that she could fight with him in such a state as he was, they came rushing over at full pelt. She now stood in shock, holding the blood red scythe in hand, staring at the scene before her.

Rukia had let out a scream in the form of her Captain's name. Said Captain was stood over a white-armoured man with blue hair, his zanpakuto barely intact, and Maka guessed it was behind the explosion they had felt a short while ago, a trickle of blood leaked from the corners of his mouth and gushing from his chest, in which resided a sword blade. The sword was dark and attached to an arm by a gauntlet with a mirror on the back of the hand. The arm seemed normal at first glance, but following it to its source made Maka's eyes widen; it was coming from the large man's abdomen, the arm becoming a pitch liquid like tar as it drew closer to the body, the solidity of the hand and forearm a stark contrast to it. Her grip on Soul's metal handle tightened as she laid eyes upon the creature as it began to rear up out of the man's body, the blade never leaving Ichigo's chest. Soon enough, a man stood over him, his features hidden behind a mask of pure black. Unlike before, Aizen's mask had a lining of white around the eye-holes and the shapes of a row of teeth was ingrained onto either side of the mouth. The sword pulsed a deep crimson as he took in some of Ichigo's little remaining reiatsu, swarming around the weapon until it became lost within the man's body. A flash and a third eye cracked open, the same dark purple sclera and ghostly blue iris as his original two, at the centre of his forehead. Ichigo slumped down beside Grimmjow, the sword torn out and leaving a jagged hole from which he bled heavily. As he hit the ground, his bleary eyes fell on the now unreleased Grimmjow beside him, blood pooling around them both from the multitude of wounds they had received.

"Sorry... Ichigo," Grimmjow struggled. Ichigo risked a pained smile to his comrade.

"It's alright," he replied, his tone gravely. "I don't... blame you..."

Both men slumped and Rukia let out another scream, this time crossing blades with Aizen in fury, but he had her heavily outmatched. She was knocked away easily, her zanpakuto clattering away and her shield sliding over the stone floor in the opposite direction. Aizen lunged, and Rukia could do nothing but watch as her life was about to be taken.

The resounding sound of metal on metal echoed through the chamber as Soul's curved blade swung upwards, knocking the strike aside before Maka followed with a fierce spinning-kick, using Soul to increase her momentum with the swing.

"Rukia," the younger girl said firmly, her usual tone discarded for an authoritative alternate. "I want you to get Ichigo and Grimmjow away and heal them. I'll take care of this Kishin."

"Maka, that man is very powerful; you can't face him alone!" Rukia protested.

"They will die if you help me, Rukia," Maka's words stung the Soul Reaper as she realised that she was right. "Don't worry; I'm Maka Albarn, and I'm destined to create a Deathscythe. I won't be dying today!"

The blonde girl's resolution to stop the being astounded Rukia and filled her with a pride as she looked upon the Meister, who reminded her of her own self when she first became a Soul Reaper. With a quick 'good luck', Rukia grabbed her sealed zanpakuto and dragged the larger men into the tunnel to make sure that they were safe from the battle. As soon as they were clear, Maka's glaring gaze locked onto Aizen with an intimidating smile on her lips, Soul smiling in the reflection of the scythe blade at his Meister's look of determination.

"Shall we get started, Kishin?" she asked coyly, both running towards the other in preparation for the conflict to come.

* * *

_**Outside Fake Los Noches**_

Rertyan touched down on the white dunes, his huge form easily able to carry the beings he had rescued from the wreckage of the collapsing palace. Chad, Celest, Nel and Kid were all there, safe and sound, with the twin pistols also safe in the young Meister's grip. Rertyan looked over at the smoke-wreathed behemoth of a building, under which the fighting still raged.

"I'm going back to get the others," he announced. "Then I'm going to destroy this godforsaken place and we can go home."

"I'll go with you," Kid opted. "I want to help Maka fight the Kishin underneath that building."

"Kid, who are you kidding?" Liz asked. "That place is so asymmetrical that your OCD would never let you fight; you'd be helpless."

"Besides," Rertyan added. "There is a large concentration of Madness down there. As a hollow and an Elder, I am immune to its effects for the most part, but I can not guarantee that you will not slip into it. Therefore no one is coming with me. I have made a promise to a dying man," He continued, turning away from the group and taking off again. "And I'll be damned if I break that promise!"

* * *

_Like it? Love it? Loath it? Tell me!_

_Anyway, I've decided that this is the second from last chapter in the main story line, but there will be an epilogue to follow the next one._

_All in all, I don't think this is too bad, but I'll let you be the judges of that._

_Anyway, I'm off everyone._

_Remember, review and tell me what you think!_

* * *

_**Footnotes:**_

_*** Mai no Shirayuki** – Meant to mean 'dance of white snow', so called because of the way that the snow and ice seems to have an acrobatic style and a certain flourish which I imagine Rukia possesses. It also refers to the way that her blade becomes snow and is a key component in the ritual._

* * *

_**** Saiga Zangetsu –** Meant to mean 'Final Cutting Moon'. This move is a last resort, as it tears Tensa Zangetsu apart, so leaves Ichigo defenceless, and also consumes most, if not all, of his reiatsu to perform. The reason for the explosion is that Tensa Zangetsu's compressed form gets the entirety of Ichigo's vast reiatsu, which becomes hyper-compressed and can either be used to store multiple high-density Getsugas or released in one go, resulting in an explosion of reiatsu._


	17. Chapter 17

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the Hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon end up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Chapter 17: Fall of the Black Blood; Release the Perfect Soul Resonance?**

The caverns beneath the darkened palace were filled with an eerie silence, the two combatants stood ready. The triple-eyed man smiled wide and insanely, his head lowering and making his features become marred in a sea of shadow almost as pitch as the liquid which ran through his being. The Meister opposite him tightened her gloved grip around her Weapon's handle, her emerald irises fixated onto her opponent while the white-haired boy smiled, baring his sharpened teeth. The older of the two humanoids laughed a little at the display they were making before him, as if enjoying the novelty of having such a young opponent and relishing the conflict to come.

"Tell me," Maka announced finally, her voice level and strong. "What is your name?" Aizen's sickening smile stretched wider still, as if he was possessed by the Cheshire Cat itself.

"I am the great Lord Sosuke Aizen," he proclaimed triumphantly. "True king of all creation, master of the Madness and the single most powerful Kishin ever conceived!" Another bout of twisted laughter echoed over the room, then silence drew in briefly, only for the light veil to be shattered once more by his voice, the tone now low and serious. "Now, child, who are you? And why do you want to know my name?"

"I am the one-star Scythe Meister, Maka Albarn," she declared with as much power as she could. "Daughter of one of the greatest Meisters ever to graduate from Shibusen. This is my Weapon, the Demon Scythe Soul Eater. And I asked for your name," She dashed forwards, swinging Soul over her shoulder in preparation for an attack. "So I would know whose soul it is I am claiming!" Soul's blade became wreathed in an intense, thick aura of blue energy. "Witch Hunter!"

Maka swung the now huge scythe towards the Kishin, but as it neared, he raised his sword and blocked it, the blue dissipating into thin air on impact. A look of shock at the turn of events passed over Maka, but she reacted quickly by backing off with a kick to Aizen's chest. He staggered slightly, standing upright, a twisted grin visible though his eyes were not.

"Is that all you've got?" he asked sadistically. "No eye-gouging, no going for my throat, not even an attack which could pierce my flesh?" He reared his head up as he roared out his next words. "Take my soul? Don't make me laugh!"

He kicked off of the ground, sword flashing through the air and meeting Soul in passing, the sharpened metal glancing off of his staff. Maka whipped round and raised Soul barely in time to block the second strike. Another turn, and a hiss of pain escaped her lips. The blade had been faster than she had expected and cut into her left shoulder. The wound was light, but it was her pride which had been most cut by this strike.

"Dammit," Soul growled in his subconscious. "He's fast."

"Come on, Soul," a voice said from behind him. Atop the counter a few feet away sat the little demon, the red-skinned creature smiling as always. "Quit playing around and dive into the Madness again. You'll never win otherwise!"

"Shut up," Soul's tone was not angry in any way, more stoic than that. "If I allow the Madness to take over me, it will affect Maka. I can't do that."

"That's crap and you know it," The demon offered his rebuttal with the care and compassion of a lead pipe to the head. "You're afraid that you'll like the power too much."

"I'm not afraid of that, I've proven before that I don't like the power Madness holds," Soul replied quietly. "I'm afraid that I'll lose her. She's my best friend and my Meister; I can't take that risk with Maka."

"Bullshit, Evans!" the short being roared in anger. "Don't try to fool me, I know you better than you know yourself! Live on the wild side like you want to and let loose your Madness! You will be unstoppable once you do!"

There was silence in the Black Room except for the crackly, jumping gramophone as it played the light lounge music it always did when Soul came to the room. The creature was stunned by thelack of an outburst on Soul's part. Where before he had always been shouted at for his own outburst, the demon heard no response from the room's only other occupant. Finally, Soul spoke again with a soft, steady, melodic aspect to his voice.

"I know that you are right," he said. "But I can't run the risk of losing Maka. She's too damn important to me, so I won't let my pride screw her up, especially if there's a chance that she will fall into the Madness and I won't be able to protect her. So thank you, demon," He turned to face the bemused being, his face void of any trace of emotion. "But no thank you."

Outside, the fighting continued. Maka swung Soul in a pre-emptive attack, hoping to catch Aizen off-guard as he lunged, but the sword attached to his arm intercepted and rebounded the attack out of the way, allowing him a chance to strike at Maka directly again. She dodged under the swing and followed with a roundhouse kick, her boot meeting Aizen's face with a satisfying crunch underfoot, sending him staggering away with his back to his opponent. With this done, she swung again, the blade of Soul's Weapon mode piercing Aizen's hide and cutting into his side. Black blood gushed from the wound briefly before it became sealed with an obsidian scab. Spark flew over the battle field as the sword grazed against Soul's handle and ground off. The Kishin Lord thrust his mirrored blade into the space where Maka's head had been, but she dodged aside in time to see it shoot passed and almost shear a lock of her hair from her head.

The Kishin smiled a sickly smile, then began to rapidly thrust and lunge forwards, forcing Maka unknowingly into a corner. Her back hit the stone and he reeled back to impale her through the chest, but the thrust met stone as she vaulted over the insane man using Soul, then spun around, raking the sickle blade across his back. The reward of a cry of pain and the pitter-patter of droplets of dark blood spilling over the floor were short lived, as the wound sealed quickly and Aizen wrenched his weapon free.

"Dammit, just die!" he yelled, infuriated by Maka's skill. Her blows had been weak, but the fact that she had cut him at all was an insult to his pride. "If you don't die soon, I'll have to do something you will really regret!"

"Duly noted," Maka replied, avoiding or blocking the attacks coming her way. "But I'm not dying any time soon!"

"You are trying my patience with your foolhardy stubbornness, you brat!" Aizen snarled, raising the glowing mirror to Maka's eyes as she lunged forwards and lashed towards him. "Gaze into the darkness and let the parting of the black sea wash over you, child! Madness Mirror, full power!"

Maka's scowling, confident look changed instantly as the mirror flashed briefly. The murk parted into a spiralling whirlpool with a single white mark in the centre. Around her very being, Maka saw nothing but the swirling black, as if all the light and shape of the world around her had been turned to nothingness. Inside the vortex, her mind began to scream. She could see visions of carnage in the world, the twisted figures of her friends and family dead in the ruins of Shibusen. A crop of snowy hair stained with crimson appeared in sight, the scarlet eyes beneath it dulled with the life extinguished from them, and the usually comforting wavelength which the being gave off non-existent to her superior soul perception ability. Seeing her friend, weapon and love in such a state of disarray in the wreckage of the place that she called home was too much for the young Meister. She wailed uncontrollably, cradling her weapon close to her chest.

Outside of Maka's field of perception, Aizen began to laugh insanely at the events unfolding before him. Maka had fallen to her knees, having dropped to her knees, clutching her head and screaming in abject agony from her place on the ground. Soul had clattered to the ground beside her, his red iris showing his deep concern for his Meister's well-being.

"Maka!" he pleaded. "What's wrong? Speak to me, dammit! Maka!"

"She can't hear you, you simpleton," the demon sighed, his tone serious. "I'm afraid that she has fallen into the Madness itself now, and there is no way that anyone can possibly pierce something that thick; not even her anti-demon wavelength has a chance of slowing or stopping it."

"You're wrong!" Soul growled. "Maka can't be gone! She wouldn't!"

"Your admiration towards the girl is touching, Soul," the short, red-skinned being sighed, closing its dark-ringed eyes and hoisting itself onto the counter beside them. "However, it is undeniable that she has fallen into the Madness itself. That attack most likely forces anyone who gazes upon the mirror to be consumed by it, which would explain why her anti-demon wavelength has not had any effect on it. I'm sorry, but she has no way to get out of it alone."

"There must be something I can do," Soul said firmly, pacing with anxiety in his crimson orbs. His mind fell back to the time when she had gone into the Madness using the Black Blood within him. "What about me? Can't I get her like I did when we fought Crona?"

"Hmm, that is a possibility," the demon nodded, running a hand over his chin as he thought. "Mind you, you won't be able to just reach inside and pluck her back; the only way to get through to her mind and bring her back would be to dive into the Madness head on."

Soul's feature folded into a determined look as he raised his head and turned to the demon again.

"So be it," he said, tying the rope pull-chord on one of the curtains around his waist and the other to the door-handle of the room in which they stood. "Send me into it, demon, I have to save my Meister."

* * *

_**Above Fake Los Noches**_

Rertyan touched down carefully upon the fragile roof, the gentlest of movements causing it great damage, though his huge size may have been to blame for that. He closed his red eyes and grimaced.

"This form is still immature," he noted, opening his eyes and noticing how his claws were starting to shimmer as his form attempted to split into its component parts again, but he resisted the urge. "If I have any chance of doing this, I'm going to have to go one step higher, even if only to sustain my form for a while longer." He cracked his neck and stomped down on the roof, caving it in over the central room where the secret passage to Aizen's true lair lay open to all. A shimmer of black and red swarmed around his wings and back, forming a cloak which hid his head and features. "Using Chaos Veil should buy me enough time. Now, to find out what is happening." He splayed his hand, fingers and palm fully outstretched. A trio of red rings appeared around his right forearm. "Elder Speech, binding threads."

* * *

_**Aizen's Lair Laboratory**_

"Hold still, idiot!" Rukia barked, attempting to restrain her Captain with one hand while trying to heal him with the other. "If you don't stop moving around, I swear I will put you under a Bakudo!"

"I don't care, Rukia," he groaned, his robes torn and bloody as he wounds bled further from his struggles to sit up despite the short Lieutenant attempting to force him down again. "She could be in danger if I don't help her!"

"You're in no shape to help anyone," Rukia shoved him down to the ground and leant close to whisper her words in his ear. "So shut up and let me heal you, Captain baka."

"Connection established," came a voice in their heads. Being unconscious, Grimmjow could not hear the words, and the interference coming from the battlezone meant that the Meister and Weapon fighting the monstrosity that used to be Aizen also had no knowledge of the conversation going on in their heads. "You guys should be able to hear me now."

"Huh?" Ichigo questioned, no longer attempting to sit up and allowing Rukia to heal him with both hands focussing her Kido abilities onto the wounds. "What's going on?"

"In this form I can communicate with allies from a long range with pinpoint accuracy," the voice explained. "This is Rertyan, I'm about to head into the lair. What's the situation?"

A piercing scream echoed from the chamber where the dark reiatsu was coming from. Rukia froze and turned to the doorway, a look of worry and shock on her face.

"What the..." she murmured, shocked by the sound. "That was Maka!"

"What's going on down there?" Rertyan asked.

"Grimmjow went mad and started attacking us," Ichigo said to cover for Rukia's lack of speech. "We stopped him, but Aizen took me out when I wasn't expecting it. Rukia's healing us now, but Maka and Soul are fighting still."

"You left them to fight _alone_?" Rertyan shouted back, stunned by his supposed lack of thought.

"We tried to stay, but Maka refused to let us 'cause of my injuries and the fact that Rukia had medical training," he replied levelly. "But we don't know what happened to them; Maka just screamed, but the strength of Aizen's release is too intense for us to investigate further."

"Alright, I'm coming down there, sit tight," Rertyan announced, then the connection died. Ichigo looked towards the doorway, which was now secreting a purple-black reiatsu, a worried look on his face.

"What's going on in there?"

* * *

_**Black Room**_

"Are you certain you want to do this, Soul?" the short being asked. "If you try this, you may not be able to come back out of it."

"She is worth that risk, demon," he replied, stood before the open door. "I have to try."

"Then go, Soul Eater," the demon replied, pushing the hapless boy through the door.

He plummeted through the dark watery surface of the Madness, plunging deep within it. It felt cold around him, piercing his soul and cutting him deep, but he swam into the depths of the blackness, traversing it and closing his eyes to envisage the light of Maka's soul. His ability to perceive souls was weak, but being linked with Maka's soul, even faintly, gave him a weak ability to detect them.

_Come on, Maka,_ he thought. _Where are you hiding yourself? _A faint blue light flashed beneath him. His eyes gazed upon it, and he thought it could be hers, but he soon worked out what it was. _Rash, obsessed with being 'cool' to everybody, this isn't Maka's soul; it's mine._ He moved on, diving into the deeper depths until he came across another soul. This one was orange with a pair of tendrils protruding from the sides. As he grew closer, it became obvious that the pig-tailed soul had tears in its eyes and shuddering uncontrollably. _There she is. Why the hell is she in such a state? That's not like you, Maka._

His hands fell upon the small soul, gently enclosing it and enveloping it. The energy it emitted pulsed over him, forcing his consciousness into the world of her soul. He opened his eyes to gaze upon something out of an apocalypse movie; a city scape torn to pieces, littered in rubble and wreathed in flames. The stench of iron filled the smoky air and stung his throat as he looked from the wreckage of Shibusen and Death City to the blood red sky and back again to the scorched earth. _What the hell is going on? This isn't what I expected inside your soul, Maka._

Soul's red eyes fell upon a shuddering figure hunched in the courtyard of the destroyed school which they called home, and he knew instantly who it was. He sprinted through the broken streets and leapt over the bloody pools which flooded the cobblestones, making a beeline for the distressed Meister. He stopped a few feet behind her, her cries of sorrow audible from his place.

"Soul," she whimpered. "Please, I need you... Don't leave me here, not like this! I can't lose you... Soul!"

The Weapon bit his lip and moved forward, hunkering down and placing an arm around her shoulders.

"It's okay, Maka," he whispered into her ear. "I'm not going anywhere without you." Her sniffled and looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks from her bloodshot emerald irises. He smiled softly as he gently wiped away the droplets. "Besides, we have work to do; there's no time to cry about hallucinations like this."

"S-Soul..." she whispered, the sky brightening as she gripped him tightly into a close hug. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright... Partner."

They emerged in the sea of blackness, the Madness already sinking into their souls, but they swam upwards, the black tendrils parting as they forced their way back through the sea of Madness to the Black Room. Once they were over the safety of the threshold, Soul slammed the door shut, the demon greeting them both with the jumping lounge music.

"Ah, you made it back," it said with a grin. Soul just smirked back.

"Did you ever doubt me?" he asked. The creature shrugged.

"I suppose so, but that doesn't mean I had faith in you," he said, propping himself back atop the cabinet. Maka turned to Soul, unsure.

"How are we supposed to fight that Kishin?" she asked nervously. "He's too strong for Witch Hunter, and we don't know how to use anything else."

"You're still in the grip of the Madness, you know," the demon piped up. They stared at him, surprised by this. "You could turn that against him."

"And run the risk of going insane again? No way," Soul replied adamantly. "We can't run that risk."

"We have to," Maka interrupted. Her partner stared at her, his expression one of disbelief. "It's like Kai said; in order to achieve those forms that he and Ichigo took under the shop, they had to accept everything about themselves and utilise it all. We have to try this."

"We don't know what will happen, Maka," Soul said firmly, holding her by the upper arms. "We could go insane or be torn to shreds out there. Are you sure you want to run that risk?"

"Yes, Soul," she nodded. "If we don't, we'll all be dead anyway."

Soul smiled and accepted her words.

"Well then, may I have what could be our last dance?" he asked, bowing and holding out a hand to her. She smiled, giggling a little, and took his hand.

"Only if you lead," she responded. Soul nodded and turned to the demon beside the gramophone.

"Hey, demon," he called. "Put on something more upbeat than this, would you?"

The sound of scratching vinyl echoed over the speaker as the disc was switch off. The creature flipped it a few times in his hands, the red label at the centre shifting and melding into a dark purple, then placed it back onto the turntable. The needle ground over it, and the sounds of static erupted from the singular speaker atop the device before it then relented and started playing a dark but melodic and fast-paced track of the piano being played. Soul grinned, recognising his own work, and Maka did the same. Then the Weapon spun his Meister by the hand and began the dance, a flurry of black lightning leaking from their bodies as they did and the ghostly, winged form of Maka's soul took shape on her chest, melding with it and creating a blast of light which washed over everything in the room.

* * *

_**Aizen's Lair**_

Aizen stared upon the now still body before him. He could no longer hear the voice of Soul pleading to his Meister, nor could he make out the screams which responded. Satisfied, he turned his back on her and swung his blade in a downward arc, clearing it and resetting his zanpakuto's abilities. Allowing a sickly laugh to escape his twisted lips, Aizen made for the door connecting the lab to the chamber in which he stood.

_With that girl gone, I can deal with those Soul Reapers, _he thought, his demented smile growing further. _With them gone, there will be no stopping me._

Suddenly, he stopped dead as a ripple of air coursed over him from behind. He turned to see Maka was on her feet again, scythe in hand and an intent look of hatred on her features. He turned to her full on, a confused look with small eyes boring holes into her form.

"What's this?" he questioned, fearful of the result. "You can't be up; the Madness Mirror should have swallowed your soul!"

"Then you don't know who you're messing with," Maka replied simply, Soul's scythe form glowing blue as if to transform, black lightning seeping from the ground in tame strands around her feet. "Soul, let's show him our true power. Madness Release!"

The lightning burst upwards in a furious display of dominance, smothering the girl's figure from sight as a pulse of sickly, dark music erupted around her. Anyone who was able to use Soul Perception would have seen something unusual for a Meister and Weapon duo; the two souls of the dynamic duo melding into one. Black energy coursed over Maka's clothes and the join of her pigtails, changing them to a black, formal looking dress with a grey upper section, long black gloves which ran up her arms from wrist to mid-upper arm and a pair of black ribbons forming bows which held her pigtails in position while swaying in the currents of the energy both she and Soul were putting out.

Soul's form shifted, the metal shaft twisting around her right arm and forming a band around it from wrist to shoulder. About an inch from her wrist, a red and black sickle blade formed in Soul's stylistics to form her hand, and on Maka's right shoulder was an elliptical red eye inside a gold ring. Six prongs jutted off of the ring; one on each of the thinner edges of the oval ring, one at about forty-five degrees clockwise of the bottom-most one and three which formed from one larger prong and split, each pointing to her right and off of the shoulder. Along her left forearm were three, fairly short blades in a similar style to the one on her right hand, and one which was larger than those three but smaller than the one on her hand, forming a makeshift shoulder armour of sorts.

The new form was completed with three more attachments; first a pair of large scythe blades materialised out of her back, around about her shoulder blades, like furled wings behind an angel or demon, these ones pitch black with a red edge and a trio of red eyes which resembled the Kishin's symbol on each flat of the blades. The next was a sphere of Black Blood which twisted into a shape, melded with her chest and solidified into a duplicate of Lord Death's mask, the three teeth pointed downwards as always and the circular, black nose indent clear. However, in place of the eye-holes, three black sockets had opened up, more slit-like and, again, resembling the Kishin's mark. The final item was another of the eyes attached to her shoulder, but this one attached over her right eye and giving her a twin-toned gaze. Even with the transformation complete, the black lightning danced over her legs, as if waiting for her command to strike the insane being down. He gaped and staggered back a step or two.

"What form is that?" he questioned roughly, his fear and anxiety clear. "You can't have access to the Madness! It's not possible!"

"Then you don't know us," Maka growled, her voice laced with Soul's, though it was more docile and made it clear she was the dominant consciousness. "This is what happens when Meisters resonate with no limiters, when we discard our sanity briefly and take the Madness for ourselves. This is the Perfect Soul Resonance. Time for us to claim your soul, Kishin Aizen!"

Maka ran forwards, the lightning following her every move while the demonic, ghostly piano continued to play overhead, the player unseen by all. A quick movement and the scythe blade cleaved into Aizen's side, cutting through the Black Blood by using the Madness wavelength to nullify it completely. Aizen gasped and backed off, clutching his bloody side tightly to slow the blood which ebbed through his figures with every beat of his racing heart. He raised the mirror to them and powered it as the newly fused Meister and Weapon charged his way.

"Madness Mirror, Black Torrent!" he barked, a pulse of shadow leaking from the mirror and coursing towards them, but the determined Meister ran on regardless.

No sooner did the blast reach them did it part and vaporise around them. Aizen was shocked by the turn of events and dodged quickly, trying again in their blindspot, but again it happened, the black tendrils of electric energy bouncing through it as if it were the air itself.

"Black Piano," Soul's voice echoed overhead, as if from a disembodied phantom. "Madness Noise Cancelling!"

A sphere of red became visible to Aizen, showing to him that in the flurry of light and sound, it was sound which was winning by cancelling the wavelength channelled to the blasts instead of destroying them. Abruptly, the blades turned a purple-blue, their size more than doubling and the edges becoming jagged and vicious like teeth. Also, a set of red eyes opened on each, these ones like Soul's in Witch Hunter form. Before he could react, the hand blade plunged through his shoulder, severing the joint with little effort.

_What is this?_ Aizen's thoughts scrambled to find a reason for this. _Why am I losing? Why did I achieve this power? It can't be luck or coincidence that bestowed this power to me, so why is it I can't even raise my blade to block or move my legs to dodge her? Why, dammit... Kishin, Madness, why have you abandoned me in my time of need?_

"It's over, Aizen!" Maka roared, her rage leaking into her attack and voice as her main blade became laced in the lightning around her, supercharging the attack for one final attack. "This is for what you did to my friends!"

_We don't have long, Maka,_ Soul's voice whispered in her ear. _The Madness is at its limits, any more and we will fall in. Hurry up and kill him!_

Without any further prompting, Maka lunged, the dark mirror-sword raising to block, but the weak resolve of it's master was reflected in the dull blade as it met the sickle. It held briefly, then a crack spider-webbed over it, shattering the weapon like glass and piercing Aizen's dark heart, running him through and through. His scream of agony and one last insane laugh were all he do before he slumped to the floor, the black pigment to his shed blood dying out into crimson as the creature which had possessed him died too. Maka staggered a little, her adrenaline working overtime, and her body aching. From his place in the Black Room, Soul focussed their Madness Limiters back into place, then transformed again, both Meister and Weapon back to normal, if a little worse for wear. The girl staggered and almost hit the floor, but her Weapon caught her and picked up her light frame with ease, carrying her towards the others.

When they arrived, Ichigo was on his feet again, some makeshift bandages covered in blood over his wound, but otherwise he was fine. Grimmjow was on the floor, unconscious still from his fight, and Rukia had slumped against the wall, sleeping off her fatigue from healing two high-level beings. Uryu stood talking to a large being with a familiar mask.

"What's going on?" Soul asked. Rertyan looked over and smiled.

"Good, you guys made it," he noted. "That was some intense reiatsu you were putting out there."

"Yeah, well, it's over now; that guy's dead, and not even his soul could come out of it," Soul noted solemnly. "Let's just get out of here."

"Right," Rertyan nodded, turning to Ichigo. "Ichigo, grab Grimmjow and Rukia and take them to the others as fast as you can. I have one more thing to do, then I'll take Uryu, Maka and Soul with me."

"You got it," the orange-haired Captain nodded, knowing what was planned. He scooped up the two he was told to carry and vanished up the shaft.

Rertyan grabbed his sword from the air, the weapon forming obediently in its master's grip, and raised it high, charging his reiatsu into it and targeting the pulsing sphere which provided power to the facility.

"Chaotic Elder Wave," he said, flames wreathing his blade. "Twin Flame Finale!"

The energy arc roared towards the jar and slammed into it with full force, exploding and destabilising the sphere. It pulsed uncontrollably as Rertyan's sword vanished and spark and bolts of electricity tore through the air around as it started to overload. He grabbed the three smaller beings quickly and leapt into the air, escaping up the broken shaft and out into the open air of the black-skied desert just as the device exploded. A huge pillar of purple light tore into the sky, the radius increasing exponentially until all of the palace was nothing but reshi in the atmosphere, the dark deeds that happened there no more than a memory to those involved, and fogotten by those who weren't.

_Like I promised, Ulquiorra,_ Rertyan thought as he neared the small crowd of the battered and weary allies who were assembled there. _That horrific place is no more. Rest in peace, my friend, you have nothing left to fear._

With that, he allowed the shape to wear off, the group touching down as his release ended and colour returned to Kai's body. He opened his brown eyes and smiled at everyone, his friends and allies safe and sound.

"Come on, guys," he said. "Let's go home."

* * *

_I know it seems like it's the end, but there is going to be an epilogue to come, so stayed tuned for that, so to speak._

_I'm sorry it took so long, I was procrastinated by my science module 2 exams this last week, so that took priority. I hope you all understand._

_Anyway, tell me what you think, I don't mind if it's good or bad, just tell me what you think of it._

_Anyway, I've got sleep to catch up on._

_'Night everyone!_


	18. Epilogue

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Bleach or Soul Eater or their characters, all of which belong to Tite Kubo or Atsushi Okubo respectively. OCs and anything original from these is my own work._

_**Brief: **__After the Kishin was revived, the Madness Wavelength was released to the world and a new form of Black Blood was made that found it's way into the realm of the Hollows. Lord Death decided to act by sending to Meisters to investigate, but they soon e__nd up with more than they had bargained. Contains swearing, slight romance and potential gore/shocking imagery._

_**Pairings: **__IchiRuki, KaiHime, SoMa, potential others._

* * *

**Bleached Souls: Black Bloodlust**

**Epilogue: Return through the Shock Bridge**

_**Five Days Later**_

"On behalf of all of Hueco Mundo and the hollows," the hologram of Grimmjow said, standing in the clearing of the forest just south of Karakura, the same place where the Soul Reapers had met the Meisters and Weapons. It was a fitting place to be for such an occasion as this. "I would like to extend my thanks to all of you who fought in the battles against the infected hollows and Aizen himself, particularly to Meister Maka Albarn and her Weapon Soul Eater for destroying the last of the Black Blood and reducing the Madness affecting my people.. Also, thank you to the Elder Rertyan Blackfang for destroying Aizen's hideout and defeating the rogue ex-Espada Ulquiorra Schifer, and to Captain of Squad 5, Ichigo Kurosaki, and his Lieutenant, Rukia Kuchiki, for subduing myself when the Madness affected me."

"No need to thank us, sire," Kid smiled. "It was in everyone's interest to do so."

"You are very welcome," Rukia smiled, knowing that Ichigo would not extend a formal invitation to Grimmjow, despite his higher rank. "We would hope that this will see the beginning of a union between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society for years to come."

"It certainly would be nice to have one less headache to deal with," Grimmjow agreed. "Could I ask that you pass on my request to your head-Captain as to the terms of a union between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society."

"It will be done as soon as we return," the short woman nodded.

"Thank you," Grimmjow said. He looked off to the left of the small group and nodded. "I understand. I apologise, but I have things which require my attention here. Goodbye for now, and thank you once more."

The hologram vaporised in the blink of an eye, and the group turned to one another.

"Honestly, he's changed so much since he became King of Hueco Mundo," Ichigo sighed. He turned to Kid. "When is your way back meant to be here?" The black-haired Meister looked at his watch.

"Professor Stein said it was going to be stable in a few more minutes," he replied. "We should say our goodbyes before then."

Maka turned to Kai and smiled.

"Thank you for helping Soul and I," she said. The Vizard Squad Captain smiled crookedly back.

"No problem," he replied. "With that power at your disposal, that Kishin guy won't know stand a chance."

Maka giggled lightly, but their attention was soon drawn by the crackling of energy as a red portal shimmered into sight. Liz yelped and jumped up, only to be caught in Patty's arms, who laughed at her sister's easily frightened nature, while Kid facepalmed his Weapon's actions.

"Unbelievable," he muttered. "Even after all we've been through, you still jump at the slightest thing, Liz."

"Hey, it's not my fault that I don't want to be killed by some monster!" Liz protested, making Patty's boisterous laughs become more raucous.

"That's pretty stupid, sis!" she announced. "If it's your want, then it must be your fault!"

"She has a point," Kid smiled to himself. "Liz, Patty, let's go home."

"Sure," Liz sighed, stepping down onto the ground. "Thanks for your help, guys!"

"Thanks!" Patty practically yelled at the group before pulling her sister into the portal behind her, with Kid chasing them frantically while protesting about their horrific symmetry. Soul sighed and shook his head at their actions.

"Man, that is so uncool," he muttered, eyes half-closed in a look of boredom over the situation. "At least my Meister's the coolest." He flashed her a sharp-toothed grin, causing a rosy tint to cross over Maka's cheeks, though she smiled shyly back at him. She turned to Ichigo, Kai and the others after a brief silence.

"Thank you all for your help," she said, echoing the thoughts of Kid and the Thompson sisters. "We would not have been able to defeat the Kishin here were it not for the help all of you put into the battle."

"Don't worry about it," Ichigo shrugged. "It had to be done, or else we'd have another rebellion on our hands. Truthfully, we are thankful of your help in bringing such a threat under control before the situation got out of hand." Rukia smiled at Ichigo's maturity, before adding her own words.

"I hope that your world and ours will not need to call upon one another," she said. "But if ever such a time should come up, we will be willing to help you again."

"Thanks," Soul grinned. "I'm sure Lord Death will appreciate that."

Behind the albino Weapon and his Meister, the portal pulsed and sparked as it became more strained and unstable.

"We have to go now," Maka bowed slightly as a gesture to everyone. "Goodbye, and thanks again! Come on, Soul!" She turned tail and grabbed Soul by the arm, pulling him along behind her as she went.

"Hey! Maka!" the scythe protested as they disappeared into the heart of the revolving energy disc just moments before it snapped shut behind them. Ichigo smiled at the space where they had been before, then turned to Kai with a serious look.

"Now that that's done," he said. "Let's see if Urahara's ready."

Kai nodded, knowing what he meant, and led the group away from the forest and towards the Urahara Shoten.

* * *

_**Patchwork Laboratory, Death City**_

The Shock Bridge generator spluttered and choked out great clouds of smoke, as if the very machine was so against its function that it was attempting to voice these thoughts. The indignant coughs turned to a grinding of metal on metal as the cogs and gears inside the chassis tore against one another and wrenched through the heart of the machine, tearing it apart from the inside out. A stray chunk of disembodied gear chewed its way out of the front plate, revealing the device as it burnt a deep red.

"I can't control it much longer," Stein announced to the crowd of Kid, Liz, Patty and Lord Death, all of whom stood behind him, watching the carnage unfold helplessly. "If they don't come through soon, the portal will unravel around them."

Amidst the destruction and chaos the machine was creating, Soul's crop of bleached hair appeared in sight, his arm extended behind him as he hauled Maka through the wall of red energy. No sooner were they clear of the portal and a few feet away did the machine explode, tearing the circuitry and mechanisms to shreds in a ball of crimson flames and thick, acrid smoke. The young Meister coughed, clearing her lungs and throat of the searing material.

"Heh, looks like we made it just in time," Soul said, brushing off the incident as he always did. Maka glared at his casual attitude, but only briefly.

"How's Crona?" she asked abruptly. Stein smiled down at her.

"He's made a full recovery," he replied. "It seems that by destroying the creature, Crona's equilibrium with the Black Blood in his body has been restored. He's still in the infirmary, however, if you want to visit him." A look of relief washed over Maka, and Soul could not help but smile at her compassionate nature. "Well done for completing such a trying and dangerous mission," Stein went on. "I need to run a few tests on you five to ensure that no side effects have occurred from the use of the Shock Bridge, otherwise I suggest that you get all the rest you can before Black Star returns from his latest mission."

The students nodded in agreement and followed the professor towards the infirmary. Stein and Lord Death spoke to one another at the front of the group about the potential of the now destroyed device, while Kid fussed over the lack of symmetry in the positioning of himself in relation to Liz and Patty in the middle of the group, and Maka and Soul strolled casually at the end. Soul's right hand was thrust deep into his pocket, but his left hand lay loose, his strong digits intertwined with the more delicate ones of Maka's right hand. Maka smiled sheepishly, a slight blush glazing over her cheeks. Soul looked over to her and gave his Meister the soft, caring smile which he reserved only for her, and no one else, and the pair of them continued on as if nothing had changed about them.

For once in their world, everything was in it's rightful place, even if only temporarily.

* * *

_**Underground Area, Karakura Town**_

Kai, Ichigo and Urahara stood in the open plains of the underground training area, a silver canister with green fumes seeping from the rim of the lid. From the viewing window on the side, the three of them could make out a handful of light blue pellets inside the murky red liquid which bubbled lazily inside the container. After a while, the shop-keeper pulled out a yellow pill with a black 'X' on the shell from his sleeve and passed it to Kai.

"While the reiatsu-dampeners are simmering and we we're waiting for your friends to return," Urahara said, mouth hidden behind his fan. "Maybe you can get Rertyan to fill in some gaps in our knowledge."

"Sure," Kai shrugged. "Might as well. Ready, Rertyan?"

"_Not really, but oh well,_" the hollow replied before Kai swallowed the pill.

A yellow aura enveloped Kai's spiritual form, drenching the entire landscape nearby in the eerie shimmering light until it finally faded, revealing two new figures. On Kai's right stood a grey dragon in torn blue robes, who had his wings furled behind him as he stood there, and on his left was a spitting image of himself, except that the doppelgänger was almost completely white in colour, robes included, except for his red and black eyes. Rertyan cracked his neck with a simple movement of his head and let out a comfortable sigh.

"Alright, how long does this last, shop keeper?" the hollow questioned in his usual twin-toned voice.

"About an hour," Urahara replied simply. Rertyan snorted.

"This should be easy, then," he sighed. "Alright then, what do you need to know?"

"What are the Vasto Ultimas?" Kai asked, beating Urahara to the punch. The blonde man pouted but did not speak up, as he decided there would be a chance to get his question answered later.

"I thought you'd ask that," Rertyan shook his head. "Vasto Ultimas are the stage up from Vasto Lordes… No, that's not quite right; they fall under the Vasto Lordes. What I should have said is that Vasto Lordes have two states; the Vasto Primeras, who you see fairly often comparatively, and who made up a fair few of the previous Espada, as I'm sure you knew already; and the Vasto Ultimas, which, as the name suggests, are the ultimate stage in hollow evolution. As a trade-off, they can't actually become Arrancars, but they do gain a zanpakuto upon reaching this level, which overturns that problem altogether.

"I'm gonna assume you want to know just how many of us there are, in case one shows up to destroy the World of the Living, yeah?" Rertyan went on. When he heard no objection, he said; "Don't worry about that; in the history of Hueco Mundo, only five have ever been made, and I know where all three of the ones left alive are. They won't be doing that any time soon. Anything else?"

"Who are the remaining Vasto Ultimas?" Ichigo asked, again beating Urahara to the point.

"Each of us got given a name when we reached the Vasto Ultimas level, so this will be easy enough. With our Council titles, the remaining three are Hichigo Shirosaki, the Hunter, Depsigh Manierro, the Defender and Rertyan Blackfang, the Jailer. The two who died, before you ask, were Langhorn Gretz, the Justifier, and Shinox Telforth, the Elder." Rertyan looked at Urahara and cocked his head. "You look like you wanna say something, Hat-'n'-Clogs."

"Yes, actually," the shop-keeper nodded. "I wonder if you could tell us what exactly what happened to you all; you all vanished centuries ago."

"It was closer to millennia, actually," Rertyan corrected. "As Kai would be able to tell you, Alkahmia was formed about the same time." Kai was about to interject that this words had no link, but Rertyan stopped him. "Don't say anything until I explain properly, idiot. Anyway, there was a disturbance dimensionally which appeared in Hueco Mundo. As you all should know, there are many dimensions which float around in the Dongai Precipice, and that these dimensions can get closer or further from one another over time. Usually, dimensions have a repulsive field about them which separates them and stops a collision. In this occasion, this field had failed for an unknown reason. Apparently, it happens every twenty million years or so, and this cycle lined up with a time when two dimensions were very close to one another.

"When two dimensions collide, it doesn't cause an explosion, like so many people believe. In fact it creates a black hole effect which causes an implosion of the dimensions and draws in everything around it. What had happened is that the collision of the Alkahmian Dimension and what was known as the Integran Dimension caused one of these implosions with enough strength to draw in Hueco Mundo. Being such a large dimension, only the far reach of Hueco Mundo was affected at first. However, over time the fault-line spread further out, creating a disturbance like an electrical storm which measured several miles across.

"Part of the duty of the Council of the Broken Mask was to help hollowkind with any problems raised. When it was brought to our attention, Gretz and Telforth opted to investigate the disturbance and destroy it. However, when they didn't make it back after a few days, we got worried and the rest of us investigated the situation ourselves.

"The disturbance actually tore them into reshi and then turned that reshi into atoms, and the atoms into nothingness. Such a phenomenon has never occurred before or since, and, consequently, they didn't see it coming. Myself, Manierro and Shirosaki went into the very core of the fault and pumped all our reiatsu into the centre, forcing it to implode at the cost of breaking ourselves down.

"We only survived because we used what is known as Elder Insignia Protocol Zero; it means that if we are struck down with our Insignias active, a seal is formed which allows our power to be passed onto a random set of beings which are destined to have children. The point of this is that we return as inner hollows several thousand years later, and so can live on when these people die. I'll be honest, we were lucky to have found people with such great reiatsu to become one with, as it means that we were able to surface faster."

"I see," Urahara mused. "So that is how you made it back."

"Yeah, it was an off-chance, but it clearly worked," Rertyan agreed. "Anyway, our soul-force created enough pressure to crush the effect, which left Alkahmia and Hueco Mundo as they currently are, and unfortunately destroyed Integra, which is a shame, but it is better that one dimension be destroyed than all of them. Also, by that token, the Soul Reapers were formed accidentally from the exposure of humanity to the shockwaves of reiatsu we produced."

"That makes sense," Ichigo said. "So that's why a Soul Reaper's powers can be so much like a hollow's, right?"

"You got it," Rertyan nodded.

"Let me get one thing straight," Kai announced. "You're saying that the three most powerful hollows in existence are inside of Ichigo, JX and me, right?"

"What's your point, caller?" Rertyan asked bluntly.

"My point," Kai ground his teeth. "Is that I am able to beat Depsigh while using your power, but how can that be?"

"Simple, really," Rertyan yawned. "You use both your power and mine, but Depsigh only used his own, which puts him at a disadvantage when we fight like that. Now, if there's nothing else you want to know, your friends just got here."

Kai gave his hollow a blank look briefly before hearing a shocked gasp somewhere to his right. Looking over in the direction of the noise, he spotted Ed and the others from the Sanctuary stood there, a look of shock in Jess's eyes, hands clamped over her mouth. She was staring at Supernova, who had his right clawed hand out from his side, his weapon form taking shape in a sheath of flames as a defensive precaution. Kai raised his hand to the spirit and pushed his arm down so that it was not threatening to the group of new arrivals.

"Easy, Supernova," he said softly. "They're friends." The dragon turned his head to look down at Kai.

"Are you sure they haven't brought him with them?" he asked, uncertain. Kai changed his gaze to Ed then back to Supernova.

"I'm sure," he said. "Be on guard in case he manages to find us, though."

The zanpakuto nodded to his master as the young man stepped forward.

"Glad to see you made it," Kai said to Ed, who shrugged in response.

"Thought you'd appreciate a little extra time so that that bastard Ken doesn't show up here," he replied. "Anyway, you sure these things will work?"

"Do you truly doubt my ingenuity?" Urahara asked as he retrieved the pellets from the base-plate of the canister. Ed and Kai exchanged sceptical looks briefly before facing the man again.

"Well, I don't know you, so yeah," Ed shrugged.

"Hell, Kisuke, I've known you almost a year now, and I've got my doubts," Kai added with the traces of a smirk over his lips as Urahara pouted again. Glancing at Ichigo, he could tell that his fellow Vizard also questioned the effectiveness of their fellow Captain's experiments, or rather effectiveness in the way the device was planned to work.

"Regardless of popular belief, I have used this formula before," Urahara said, shaking off the pellets inside of a green mesh bag, turning the pellets a pale grey. "Admittedly, they did catch fire in the air last time, I will give you that, but I have since altered the formula, and I guarantee that this version will work."

"I'm still not so sure," Ed sighed. "But I'll give it a go."

Ed stepped forward to Urahara, who stood next to a screen of black. Stepping behind it, Ed's silhouette lit up a deep blue-green with red flecks which poured off of him and vanished after a brief moment or two.

"What we can see here is Mr Sun's reiatsu as it normally is," Urahara explained, ignoring Ed's protests not to call him by his surname and looking at Kai. "Kai, could you stand behind the screen too, please?" Kai shrugged and did so, his reiatsu appearing as a deep blue-red with thick red emissions pouring out and lingering longer. Urahara looked at the screen and grimaced. "Looks like someone needs to control their reiatsu better. Anyway, moving on to why I'm doing this; as you can see, both of the subjects have their reiatsus registered on this screen. Now, observe what happens when Mr Sun puts this on." He handed Ed a black band with a grey pellet pressed into the material, and the man proceeded to slide it onto his wrist and tighten the strap to fix it in place. As soon as he did, the emissions of red vanished and the silhouette became little more than a faint glow around a black mass. "Huh, it actually works this time."

"You what?" Ed shouted, his silhouette showing how pissed off he was. "I thought you said that you'd corrected it?"

"I may have exaggerated about that," Urahara said behind his fan. "The point stands, however, that with this, there is no way to detect Mr Sun as himself without seeing him. For someone trying to detect his presence from afar, it is near impossible to locate him. Hopefully, by wearing these, you all should be safe from detection."

It was then that Ed brought his fist down upon Urahara's head, cursing him for his decision to withhold such information as he had done. The group chuckled, except for Ed, who was too busy beating Urahara to a blood pulp, Urahara, who was pleading for Ed to stop, and Supernova, who was separate from the group with Rertyan by his side. The hollow finished laughing, then turned his head to the spirit.

"Man, is this guy ever gonna learn?" he asked. Supernova turned to the hollow with a serious look on his face.

"I take it you've felt it too, right?" the dragon asked. Rertyan's expression turned serious in a heartbeat as he nodded.

"Hard to believe that it happened so quickly," he sighed. "Should we tell him?" There was a tense silence between them, filled by Urahara's cries for mercy.

"No," Supernova replied, no longer looking at the hollow, who stared back with a bewildered look on his face. "Kai is happy for the moment. And just because we felt it activate, does not mean to say that _he_ is coming for it, not that the others are active. It may be nothing to worry about." Rertyan nodded, his expression becoming more settled. "However, if it does turn out for the worst, we must be ready. Do you understand?"

"I was afraid you'd say that, but yeah, I got it," Rertyan responded in clashed monotone. "I know the location of _it_, and I have someone on standby for when we need _it_." He turned his eyes to supernova again. "I hope you're wrong, pal, I really do."

"As do I," Supernova's gaze fell upon the artificial sun in the fake sky above them. "For I do not know if Kai is ready for that."

* * *

_**Sealed Area of Soul Society**_

A young woman with mid-long black hair walked towards the large doors of her Captain's room. The hot pressure from the man inside cold be felt even down the corridor, and she absently wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead with her left hand, her right holding a number of well-stacked papers and folders.

_He has been in power for about four months, and the sheer magnitude of his reiatsu still gets to me,_ the woman thought as she neared the door. _It's no wonder the Soul King wanted this man to lead us._

Her left hand rose to the door and struck it three times firmly.

"Sir," the woman announced. "Lieutenant Hibiki Ishii reporting as you asked."

"You may enter, Lieutenant Ishii," came the gruff response of the man within. Walking into the room, Hibiki's deep pink irises fell upon the the man behind the wooden desk, his scarred face and long white beard giving him an elderly look which matched the age of his zanpakuto. "Do you have the reports I requested?"

"Indeed, Captain Yamamoto," she nodded in return, passing said folders to her superior. "Also, Captain Kurotsuchi of Squad Twelve wanted me to give you this." She passed over a black folder with the words 'IMPORTANT AND CONFIDENTIAL' stamped in red on the cover. "He said it was a priority one document for your eyes only."

"Very good," Yamamoto announced, raising his eyes over the folder in his hands. "You are dismissed, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, sir," Hibiki bowed low and left without another word.

Inside the office, Yamamoto gazed at the folder and its contents with great intent. His eyes opened from their usual slit-like position by a fraction as he looked upon the information within.

"I see why this is priority one," he mused to himself. "It certainly must have been difficult to acquire such information." He put the folder down upon the dark wood of his desk and gazed out of the window, a thoughtful look crossing his features. "I wonder what these creatures are planning if this information is accurate..."

Far away from any of the Soul Reapers or their allies, a dark laughter coated the reddened skies as an all-the-more darker being laid eyes upon part of his newest weapon. He looked up at his window and grinned evilly.

"Be ready, boy," the man said forebodingly. "For the next time we meet, nothing will be the same..."

* * *

_**The End**_

* * *

_Yes, a cliff-hanger for next time, but It would be no good to continue if I left it shut as a one-shot._

_I apologise for the late posting. Despite it being half term, I have been in Romania for the last week without access to a computer. Kinda sucked that I couldn't write, but it was an amazing trip, and an incredible place, so it was well worth it, I must admit._

_Anyway, this concludes this story and the link between Bleach and Soul Eater as far as this series is concerned, but I may do another crossover if people request it._

_Moving on from that, if you enjoyed this and want to read the other parts of my current series, go to my story list and read 'The Black Hollow' and 'Bleach After the Winter War' (though you should have read these prior to this one, I should point out), and keep your eyes pealed for my next installation, which will be known as 'Bleach; the Doomsday Tomes'._

_For now, goodnight and goodbye._


End file.
